IMAGE  EVALUATICN 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


itt  Ui   122 

Ml 

Ul 


Z  |j£    12.0 


6" 


.^.♦' 


^J»' 


?\  // 


I^iotogFaphic 

Sdaioes 

CarporatiQii 


V 


S3  VMBT  MAM  STMIT 

WIKTtR,N.Y.  USM 

(7U)t7a-4S03 


4^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  IMicroraproductions  /  inatitut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  hiatoriquaa 


Tachnieal  and  BlbHographle  NotM/NotM  taehnlquM  m  MMiographiquM 


TiM  InttKuta  Hm  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availaMa  for  flimlno.  Faaturas  off  this 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographicaily  uniqua, 
¥vhich  may  altar  any  off  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproductton,  or  which  may  aignifficantiy  changa 
tha  uauai  mathod  off  ffilming.  ara  chacitad  baiow. 


□   Colourad  eovara/ 
Couvartura  da  eoulaur 


I — I  Covara  damagad/ 


D 


D 

D 


D 


Couvartura  andommagia 

Covara  rattorad  and/or  iaminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  palliculia 


□  Covar  titia  miaaing/ 
La 


titra  da  couvartura  manqua 


r~~\   Colourad  mapa/ 


Cartaa  gtegraphiquaa  mt  couiaur 


□  Coloured  inic  (i.a.  othar  tluin  blua  or  black)/ 
Encro  da  couiaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

I — I  Colourad  platas  and/or  iliuatrationa/ 


D 


PianclMa  at/ou  iliuatrationa  an  couiaur 


Bound  with  otiiar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 


Tight  binding  may  cauaa  shadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  raliura  aarrte  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  IntAriaura 

BlanIc  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibia,  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  ffrom  ffilming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  blancliaa  ajoutiaa 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta. 
mala,  ioraqua  caia  Atait  poaaibla.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  4t4  ffilmiaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  aupplAmantairaa: 


L'Inatltut  a  microffilmi  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
quil  lui  a  AtA  poaaibla  da  aa  procurer.  Laa  dAtaiia 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modiffiar 
una  imaga  raprodulta,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modiffication  dana  la  mAthoda  normala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiquAa  ci-daaaoua. 


□  Colourad  pagaa/ 
Pagaa 


Pagaa  da  couiaur 

Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagAaa 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/oi 

Pagaa  raataurAaa  at/ou  palliculAaa 

Pagaa  diacolourad,  atainad  or  ffoxa( 
Pagaa  dAcolorAaa,  tachatAaa  ou  piquAas 

Pagaa  datachad/ 
Pagaa  dAtachAaa 

Showthrough> 
Tranaparanca 

Quality  off  ptir 

QualitA  InAgaia  da  I'impraaaion 

Includaa  aupplamantary  matarii 
Comprand  du  matAriai  aupplAmantaira 

Only  adMon  availabia/ 
Saula  Adition  diaponibia 


I — I  Pagaa  damagad/ 

r~l  Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  Iaminatad/ 

pn  Pagaa  diacolourad,  atainad  or  ffoxad/ 

I — I  Pagaa  datachad/ 

1^  Showthrough/ 

I — I  Quality  off  print  variaa/ 

nn  Includaa  aupplamantary  material/ 

I — I  Only  adition  availabia/ 


D 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  arrata 
alipa.  tiaauaa.  ate,  hava  baan  raffilmad  to 
anaura  tha  baat  poaaibla  imaga/ 
i.aa  pagaa  totalamant  ou  partiallamant 
obacurciaa  par  un  ffauiilat  d'arrata,  una  palura. 
ate.,  ont  AtA  ffilmAaa  A  nouveau  da  ffapon  A 
obtenir  la  mailleure  imaga  poaaibla. 


D 


Thia  Item  ia  ffHmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  cheeked  below/ 

Co  doeument  eat  ffUmA  au  taux  da  rAd'Jction  indiquA  ci-daaaoua. 


10X 

MX 

itx 

22X 

aix 

aox 

c 

/ 

3 

WL 


MX 


»X 


a«x 


32X 


TIm  copy  filmed  hurt  hat  b««n  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroslty  of: 


Vietoria  UnivmHy  LNN«ry  Toronto 


L'axamplairo  fllmi  f ut  raproduit  grioa  A  la 
OAnArositA  da: 

Victoria  Univtnity  LbnHry  Toronto 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
possibia  consldaring  tha  condition  and  laglbillty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spaclflcatlons. 


Laa  Imagas  suivantas  ont  4t4  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  i'axamplaira  filmi,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 


Original  copies  in  printed  papar  covers  ara  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  e  printed  or  Illustrated  Impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ere  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, end  ending  on  the  last  page  virith  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  origlnaux  dont  la  couvarture  vn 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  fiimis  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  at  an  termlnant  salt  iMr  la 
darnlAre  page  qui  eomporta  une  empreinte 
d'imprcssion  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  aaion  le  cas.  Tous  les  autras  exemplairae 
origlnaux  sont  fiimto  en  commenpant  par  la 
pramlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustretion  et  en  termlnant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shell  contain  the  symbol  ^^-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  dee  symboles  suivents  epparaltra  aur  la 
darniAre  image  do  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  Y  signifie  "FIN". 


IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  lerge  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framee  as 
required.  The  following  diagrama  Illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableeux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  da  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  »eul  clichA,  11  est  filmA  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droKe, 
et  de  haut  en  bss,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaira.  Las  diagrammas  suivanta 
lllustrent  la  mAthoda. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

mmmM 


^   "  .y 


IN   INDIAN  TENTS 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


fs>totit0 

TOLD  BY  PENOBSCOT,  PASSAMAQUODDY 
AND  MICMAC   INDIANS 


TO 


ABBY  L.  ALGER 


BOSTON 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS 

1897 


' 


E 


Copyright,  1897, 
By  Roberts  Brothers. 


MAR  22 1955 


John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.  S.  A. 


Sfifo  ISoofc 
It 

AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED 
TO 

CHARLES  GODFREY  LELAND, 

TO  WHOSE  INSPIRATION   IT  OWES 
ITS    ORIGIN. 


-"-V" 


I 


PREFACE 

In  the  summer  of  1882  and  1883, 1  was  asso- 
ciated  with  Charles  G.  Leland  in  the  collec- 
tion of  the  material  for  his  book  "  The  Algon- 
quin Legends  of  New  England,"  published  by 
Houghton  and  Mifflin  in  1884. 

I  found  the  work  so  delightful,  that  I  have 
gone  on  with  it  since,  whenever  I  found  myself 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Indians.  The  supply 
of  legends  and  tales  seems  to  be  endless,  one 
supplementing  and  completing  another,  so  that 
there  may  be  a  dozen  versions  of  one  tale, 
each  containing  something  new.  I  have  tried, 
in  this  little  book,  in  every  case,  to  bring  these 
various  versions  into  a  single  whole ;  though  I 
scarcely  hope  to  give  my  readers  the  pleasure 
which  I  found  in  hearing  them  from  the  Indian 
story-tellers.  Only  the  very  old  men  and 
women  remember  these  stories  now ;  and  though 


rirrr 


viii 


PREFACE 


they  know  that  their  legends  will  soon  be 
buried  with  them,  and  forgotten,  it  is  no  easy 
task  to  induce  them  to  repeat  them.  One  may 
make  half-a-dozen  visits,  tell  his  own  best 
stories,  and  exert  all  his  arts  of  persuasion  in 
vain,  then  stroll  hopelessly  by  some  day,  to  be 
called  in  to  hear  some  marvellous  bit  of  folk- 
lore. These  old  people  have  firm  faith  in  the 
witches,  fairies,  and  giants  of  whom  they  tell ; 
and  any  trace  of  amusement  or  incredulity  would 
meet  with  quick  indignation  and  reserve. 

Two  of  these  stories  have  been  printed  in 
Appleton's  "Popular  Science  Monthly,"  and 
are  in  the  English  Magazine  *'  Folk-Lore." 

I  am  under  the  deepest  obligation  to  my 
friend,  Mrs.  Wallace  Brown,  of  Calais,  Maine, 
who  has  generously  contributed  a  number  of 
stories  from  her  own  collection. 

The  woman  whose  likeness  appears  on  the 
cover  of  this  book  was  a  famous  story-teller, 
one  of  the  few  nearly  pure-blooded  Indians  in 
the  Passamaquoddy  tribe.  She  was  over 
eighty-seven  when  this  picture  was  taken. 


i    i 


CONTENTS 


Pagb 

The  Creation 1 1  ^ 

Grandfather  Thunder .    .  15 

The  Fight  of  the  Witches 19 

tJLiSKE      30 

Story  of  Walut      34 

Old  Snowball 44 

Al-wus-ki-ni-gess,  the  Spirit  of  the  Woods  51 

M'Teulin,  the  Great  Witch 53 

Summer 57 

The  Building  of  the  Boats 61 

The  Merman 66 

Story  of  Sturgeon 72 

Grandfather  Kiawakq' 77 

Old  Governor  John 81 

K'chi  Gess'n,  the  Northwest  Wind     ...  84 

Bio  Belly 95 

Chibaloch,  the  Spirit  op  the  Air    ....  99 

Story  of  Team,  the  Moose      loi 

The  Snake  and  the  Porcupine 106 


1 1 


I 


I 


\l 


Iv 


CONTENTS 


Why  the  Rabbit's  Nose  is  Split     .    .    . 

Story  of  the  Squirrel 

Wawbaban,  the  Northern  Lights    .    .    . 
The  Wood  Worm's  Story,  Showing  Why  the 
Raven's  Feathers  are  Black 134 


Page 
108 
III 
130 


IN   INDIAN   TENTS 


THE  CREATION 


In  the  beginning  God  made  Adam  out  of  the 
earth,  but  he  did  not  make  Glus-kab6  (the 
Indian  God).  Glus-kab6  made  himself  out  of 
the  dirt  that  was  kicked  up  in  the  creation  of 
Adam.  He  rose  and  walked  about,  but  he 
could  not  speak  until  the  Lord  opened  his 
lips. 

God  made  the  earth  and  the  sea,  and  then  he 
took  counsel  with  Glus-kab6  concerning  them. 
He  asked  him  if  it  would  be  better  to  have  the 
rivers  run  up  on  one  side  of  the  earth  and  down 
on  the  other,  but  Glus-kab6  said,  "No,  they 
must  all  run  down  one  way." 

Then  the  Lord  asked  him  about  the  ocean, 
whether  it  would  do  to  have  it  always  lie  still. 
Glus-kab6  told  him,  "  No  I  "  It  must  rise  and 
fall,  or  else  it  would  grow  thick  and  stagnant 


12 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


(( 


li 

m 

1,1,  f 


"How  about  fire?"  asked  the  Lord;  "can 
it  burn  all  the  time  and  nobody  put  it 
out?" 

Glus-kab6  said:  "That  would  not  do,  for  if 
anybody  got  burned  and  fire  could  not  be  put 
out,  they  would  die ;  but  if  it  could  be  put  out, 
then  the  burn  would  get  well." 

So  he  answered  all  the  Lord's  questions. 

After  this,  Glus-kab6  was  out  on  the  ocean 
one  day,  and  the  wind  blew  so  hard  he  could 
not  manage  his  canoe.  He  had  to  go  back  to 
land,  and  he  asked  his  old  grandmother  (among 
Indians  this  title  is  often  only  a  mark  of  respect, 
and  does  not  always  indicate  any  blood  relation- 
ship), "Mali  Moninkwess"  (the  Woodchuck), 
what  he  could  do.  She  told  him  to  follow  a 
certain  road  up  a  mountain.  There  he  found  an 
old  man  sitting  on  a  rock  flapping  his  wings 
(arms)  violently.  This  was  "  Wuchowsen,"  the 
great  Wind-blower.  He  begged  Glus-kab6  to 
take  him  up  higher,  where  he  would  have  space 
to  flap  his  wings  still  harder.  So  Glus-kab6 
lifted  him  up  and  carried  him  a  long  way.  When 
they  were  over  a  great  lake,  he  let  Wuchowsen 
drop  into  the  water.  In  falling  he  broke  his 
wings,  and  lay  there  helpless. 


! 


I 


THE  CREATION 


13 


GIus-kab6  went  back  to  sea  and  found  the 
ocean  as  smooth  as  glass.  He  enjoyed  himself 
greatly  for  many  days,  paddling  about;  but 
finally  the  water  grew  stagnant  and  thick,  and  a 
great  smell  arose.  The  fish  died,  and  GMs-kab6 
could  bear  it  no  longer. 

Again  he  consulted  his  grandmother,  and  she 
told  him  that  he  must  set  Wuchowsen  free.  So 
he  once  more  bore  Wuchowsen  back  to  his 
mountain,  first  making  him  promise  not  to  flap 
his  wings  so  constantly,  but  only  now  and  then, 
so  that  the  Indians  might  go  out  in  their  canoes. 
Upon  his  consent  to  do  this,  Glus-kab6  mended 
his  broken  wings ;  but  they  were  never  quite  so 
strong  as  at  first,  and  thus  we  do  not  now  have 
such  terrible  winds  as  in  the  olden  days. 


This  story  was  told  to  me  by  an  old  man 
whom  I  had  always  thought  dull  and  almost  in 
his  dotage ;  but  one  day,  after  I  had  told  him 
some  Indian  legends,  his  whole  face  changed, 
he  threw  back  his  head,  closed  his  eyes,  and 
without  the  slightest  warning  or  preliminary 
began  to  relate,  almost  to  chant,  this  myth  in  a 
most  extraordinary  way,  which  so  startled  me 
that  I  could  not  at  the  time  take  any  notes  of 


14 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


it,  and  was  obliged  to  have  it  repeated  later. 
The  account  of  Wuchowsen  was  added  to  show 
the  wisdom  of  Glus-kab6's  advice  in  the  earlier 
part  of  the  tale,  and  is  found  among  many 
tribes. 


iim}- 


ri  I ' 


GRANDFATHER  THUNDER 


During  the  summer  of  1892,  at  York  Harbor, 
Maine,  I  was  in  daily  communication  with  a  party 
of  Penobscot  Indians  from  Oldtown,  among 
whom  were  an  old  man  and  woman,  from  whom 
I  got  many  curious  legends.  The  day  after  a 
terrible  thunderstorm  I  asked  the  old  woman 
how  they  had  weathered  it  in  their  tents.  She 
looked  searchingly  at  me  and  said,  "It  was 
good."  After  a  moment  she  added,  "  You  know 
the  thunder  is  our  grandfather?"  I  answered 
that  I  did  not  know  it,  and  was  startled  when 
she  continued:  "Yes,  when  we  hear  the  first 
roll  of  the  thunder,  especially  the  first  thunder 
in  the  spring,  we  always  go  out  into  the 
open  air,  build  a  fire,  put  a  little  tobacco  on 
it,  and  give  grandfather  a  smoke.  Ever  since 
I  can  remember,  my  father  and  my  grand- 
father did  this,  and  I  shall  always  do  it  as  long 
as  I  live.  I  'U  tell  you  the  story  of  it  and  why 
we  do  so. 


i6 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


"  Long  time  ago  there  were  two  Indian  fami- 
lies living  in  a  very  lonely  place.  This  was 
before  there  were  any  white  people  in  the  land. 
They  lived  far  apart.  Each  family  had  a 
daughter,  and  these  girls  were  great  friends. 
One  sultry  afternoon  in  the  late  spring,  one  of 
them  told  her  mother  she  wanted  to  go  to  see 
her  friend.  The  mother  said:  *No,  it  is  not 
right  for  you  to  go  alone,  such  a  handsome  girl 
as  you ;  you  must  wait  till  your  father  or  your 
brother  are  hese  to  go  with  you.*  But  the  girl 
insisted,  and  at  last  her  mother  yielded  and  let 
her  go.  She  had  not  gone  far  when  she  met  a 
tall,  handsome  young  man,  who  spoke  to  her. 
He  joined  her,  and  his  words  were  so  sweet  that 
she  noticed  nothing  and  knew  not  which  way 
she  went  until  at  last  she  looked  up  and  found 
herself  in  a  strange  place  where  she  had  never 
been  before.  In  front  of  her  was  a  great  hole 
in  the  face  of  a  rock.  The  young  man  told  her 
that  this  was  his  home,  and  invited  her  to  enter. 
She  refused,  but  he  urged  until  she  said  that  if 
he  would  go  first,  she  would  follow  after.  He  en- 
tered, but  when  she  looked  after  him  she  saw  that 
he  was  changed  to  a  fearful,  *  Wi-will-mecq ' 
—  a  loathly  worm.    She  shrieked,  and  turned  to 


GRANDFATHER  THUNDER 


i; 


run  away;  but  at  that  instant  a  loud  clap  of 
thunder  was  heard,  and  she  knew  no  more  until 
she  opened  her  eyes  in  a  vast  room,  where  sat 
an  old  man  watching  her.  When  he  saw  that 
she  had  awaked,  he  said, '  I  am  your  grandfather 
Thunder,  and  I  have  saved  you.'  Leading  her 
to  the  door,  he  showed  her  the  Wi-will-mecq, 
dead  as  a  log,  and  chopped  into  small  bits  like 
kindling  wood.  The  old  man  had  three  sons, 
one  named  '  M'dessun.'  He  is  the  baby,  and  is 
very  fierce  and  cruel.  It  is  he  who  slays  men 
and  becists  and  destroys  property.  The  other 
two  are  kind  and  gentle ;  they  cool  the  hot  air, 
revive  the  parched  fields  and  the  crops,  and 
destroy  only  that  which  is  harmful  to  the  earth. 
When  you  hear  low,  distant  mutterings,  that  is 
the  old  man.  He  told  the  girl  that  as  often  as 
spring  returned  she  must  think  of  him,  and  show 
that  she  was  grateful  by  giving  him  a  little 
smoke.  He  then  took  leave  of  her  and  sent  her 
home,  where  her  family  had  mourned  her  as 
one  dead.  Since  then  no  Indian  has  ever  feared 
thunder."  I  said,  "But  how  about  the  light- 
ning? "  "  Oh,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  lightning 
is  grandfather's  wife." 
Later  in  the  summer,  at  Jackson,  in  the  White 

2 


i8 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


Mountains,  I  met  Louis  Mitchell,  for  many  years 
the  Indian  member  of  the  Maine  Legislature,  a 
Passamaquoddy,  and  asked  him  about  this  story. 
He  said  it  was  perfectly  true,  although  the  cus- 
tom was  now  falling  into  disuse;  only  the  old 
people  kept  it  up.  The  tobacco  is  cast  upon 
the  fire  in  a  ring,  and  draws  the  electricity, 
which  plays  above  it  in  a  beautiful  blue  circle 
of  flickering  flames.  He  added  that  it  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  no  Indian  and  no  Indian 
property  were  ever  injured  by  lightning. 


THE  FIGHT  OF  THE  WITCHES 


Many,  many  long  years  ago,  there  lived  in  a 
vast  cave  in  the  interior  of  a  great  mountain,  an 
old  man  who  was  a  "  Kiawakq'  m'teoulin,"  or 
Giant  Witch. 

Near  the  mountain  was  a  big  Indian  village, 
whose  chief  was  named  "  Hassagwakq',"  or  the 
Striped  Squirrel.  Every  few  days  some  of  his 
best  warriors  disappeared  mysteriously  from  the 
tribe,  until  Hassagwakq  at  last  became  con- 
vinced that  they  were  killed  by  the  Giant  Witch. 
He  therefore  called  a  council  of  all  the  most 
mighty  magicians  among  his  followers,  who 
gathered  together  in  a  new  strong  wigwam 
made  for  the  occasion.  There  were  ten  of 
them  in  all,  and  their  names  were  as  follows: 
"Quabit,"  the  Beaver;  "Moskwe,"  the  Wood 
Worm;  " Quagsis,"  the  Fox ;  "  K'tchi  Atosis," 
the  Big  Snake ;  "  Agwem,"  the  Loon ;  "  Kosq," 
the  Heron;   "Muin,"  the    Bear;   "Lox,"  the 


20 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


Indian  Devil ;  "  K'tchlplagan,"  the  Eagle ;  and 
"  Wabe-k^loch,"  the  Wild  Goose. 

The  great  chief  Hassagwakq'  addressed  the 
sorcerers,  and  told  them  that  he  hoped  they 
might  be  able  to  conquer  the  Giant  Witch,  and 
that  they  must  do  so  at  once  if  possible,  or  else 
their  tribe  would  be  exterminated.  The  sor- 
cerers resolved  to  begin  the  battle  the  very 
next  night,  and  promised  to  put  forth  their  ut- 
most power  to  destroy  the  enemy. 

But  the  Giant  Witch  could  foretell  all  his 
troubles  by  his  dreams,  and  that  selfsame  night 
he  dreamed  of  all  the  plans  which  the  fol- 
lowers of  Striped  Squirrel  had  formed  for  his 
ruin. 

Now  all  Indian  witches  have  one  or  more 
"  poohegans,"  or  guardian  spirits,  and  the  Giant 
Witch  at  once  despatched  one  of  his  poohe- 
gans, little  "  Alumuset,"  the  Humming-bird,  to 
the  chief  Hassagwakq'  to  say  that  it  was  not 
fair  to  send  ten  men  to  fight  one;  but  if  he 
would  send  one  magician  at  a  time,  he  would  be 
pleased  to  meet  them. 

The  chief  replied  that  the  witches  should 
meet  him  in  battle  one  by  one;  and  the  next 
night  they  gathered  together  at  an  appointed 


THE  FIGHT  OF  THE  WITCHES 


21 


place  as  soon  as  the  sun  slept,  and  agreed  that 
Beaver  should  be  the  first  to  fight 

The  Beaver  had  "  Sogalun,"  or  Rain,  for  his 
guardian  spirit,  and  he  caused  a  great  flood  to 
fall  and  fill  up  the  cave  of  the  Giant  Witch,  hop- 
ing thus  to  drown  him.  But  Giant  Witch  had 
the  power  to  change  himself  into  a  "  Seguap 
Squ  Hm,"  or  Lamprey  Eel,  and  in  this  shape  he 
clung  to  the  side  of  his  cave  and  so  escaped. 
Beaver,  thinking  that  the  foe  was  drowned, 
swam  into  the  cave,  and  was  caught  in  a 
"  K'pagutihigan,"  or  beaver  trap,  which  Giant 
Witch  had  purposely  set  for  him.  Thus  per- 
ished Beaver,  the  first  magician. 

Next  to  try  his  strength  was  Moskwe,  the 
Wood  Worm,  whose  poohegan  is  "Fire." 
Wood  Worm  told  Fire  that  he  would  bore  a 
hole  into  the  cave  that  night,  and  bade  him 
enter  next  day  and  burn  up  the  foe.  He  set  to 
work,  and  with  his  sharp  head,  by  wriggling  and 
vyinding  himself  like  a  screw,  he  soon  made  a 
deep  hole  in  the  mountain  side.  But  Giant 
Witch  knew  very  well  what  was  going  on,  and 
he  sent  Humming-bird  with  a  piece  of  "  chu-ga- 
ga-siq',"  or  punk,  to  plug  up  the  hole,  which  he 
did  so  well  that  Wood  Worm  could  not  make 


22 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


his  way  back  to  the  open  air,  and  when  Fire 
came  to  execute  his  orders,  the  punk  blazed 
up  and  destroyed  Moskwe,  the  Wood  Worm. 
Thus  perished  the  second  sorcerer. 

Next  to  fight  was  K'tchi  At5sis,  the  Big 
Snake,  who  had  "  Amwess,"  the  Bee,  for  a  pro- 
tector. The  Bee  summoned  all  his  winged  fol- 
lowers, and  they  flew  into  the  cave  in  a  body, 
swarming  all  over  Giant  Witch  and  stinging  him 
till  he  roared  with  pain ;  but  he  sent  Humming- 
bird to  gather  a  quantity  of  birch  bark,  which 
he  set  on  Are,  making  a  dense  smoke  which 
stifled  all  the  bees. 

After  waiting  some  time,  Big  Snake  entered 
the  cave  to  see  if  the  bees  had  slain  the  enemy ; 
but  he  was  speedily  caught  in  a  dead  fall  which 
the  Witch  had  prepared  for  him,  and  thus  per- 
ished the  third  warrior. 

The  great  chief,  Hassagwakq',  was  sore  dis- 
tressed at  losing  three  of  his  mightiest  men 
without  accomplishing  anything,  but  still,  seven 
yet  remained. 

Next  came  Quagsis,  the  Fox,  whose  poohe- 
gan  was  "  K'si-nochka,"  or  "  Disease,"  and  he 
commanded  to  afllict  the  foe  with  all  manner  of 
evils.    The  Witch  was  soon  covered  with  boils 


THE  nCHT  OF  THE  WITCHES 


23 


and  sores,  and  every  part  of  his  body  was  filled 
with  aches  and  pains.  But  he  despatched  his 
guardian  spirit,  the  Humming-bird,  to  "  Quili- 
phirt,"  the  God  of  medicine,  who  gave  him  the 
plant  "  Ki  Kay  In-blsun,"  ^  and  as  soon  as  it 
was  administered,  every  ill  departed. 

The  next  to  enter  the  lists  was  Agwem,  the 
Loon,  whose  poohegan  was  "  K'taiuk,"  or  Cold. 
Soon  the  mountain  was  covered  with  snow  and 
ice,  the  cave  was  filled  with  cold  blasts  of  wind, 
frosts  split  the  trees  and  cracked  asunder  the 
huge  rocks.  The  Giant  Witch  suffered  horribly, 
but  did  not  yield.  He  produced  his  magic  stone 
and  heated  it  red-hot,  still,  so  intense  was  the 
cold  that  it  had  no  power  to  help  him. 

Altimuset's  wings  were  frozen,  and  he  could 


>  This  plant  is  much  used  by  an  Indian  tribe  in 
Lower  California  who  are  said  to  live  to  a  great  age,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  years  being  no  uncommon  term  of 
life  with  them.  It  is  not  now  known  to  exist  among  the 
Eastern  Indians.  It  grew  like  maize,  about  two  feet 
high,  and  was  always  in  motion,  even  when  boiling  in 
the  pot.  Louis  Mitchell's  mother,  whom  I  knew  well, 
received  it  from  an  Indian  who  wished  to  marry,  and  to 
whom  she  gave  in  return  enough  goods  to  set  up  house- 
keeping. She  divided  it  with  her  four  sisters,  but  at 
their  death  no  trace  of  it  was  found.  It  gave  him  who 
drank  it  great  length  of  life. 


F 


24 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


not  fly  on  any  more  errands ;  but  another  of  the 
master's  attendant  spirits,  "  Lituswagan,"  or 
Thought,  went  like  a  flash  to  "  Suwessen,"  the 
South  Wind,  and  begged  his  aid. 

The  warm  South  Wind  began  to  blow  about 
the  mountain,  and  Cold  was  driven  from  the 
scene. 

Next  to  try  his  fate  was  Kosq,  the  Heron, 
whose  guardian  spirit  was  "  Chenoo,"  the  giant 
with  the  heart  of  ice,  who  quickly  went  to  work 
with  his  big  stone  hatchet,  chopped  down  trees, 
tore  up  rocks,  and  began  to  hew  a  vast  hole  in 
the  side  of  the  mountain ;  but  the  Giant  Witch 
now  for  the  first  time  let  loose  his  terrible  dog 
"  M'dassmuss,"  who  barked  so  loudly  and  at- 
tacked Chenoo  so  savagely  that  he  was  driven 
thence  in  alarm. 

The  next  warrior  was  Muin,  the  Bear,  whose 
poohegans  were  "  Petagun,"  or  Thunder,  and 
"  Pessaquessuk,"  or  Lightning.  Soon  a  tre- 
mendous thunderstorm  arose  which  shook  the 
whole  mountain,  and  a  thunder-bolt  split  the 
mouth  of  the  cave  in  twain;  the  lightning 
flashed  into  the  cavern  and  nearly  blinded  the 
Giant  Witch,  who  now  for  the  first  time  knew 
what  it  was  to  fear.    He  yelled  aloud  with  pain, 


S:( 


w 


THE  FIGHT  OF  THE  WITCHES 


25 


for  he  was  fearfully  burned  by  the  lightning. 
Thunder  and  Lightning  redoubled  their  fury, 
and  filled  the  place  with  fire,  much  alarming  the 
foe,  who  hurriedly  bade  Humming-bird  summon 
"  Haplebembo,"  the  big  bull-frog,  to  his  aid. 
Bull-frog  appeared,  and  spat  out  his  huge  mouth 
full  of  water,  which  nearly  filled  the  cave, 
quenching  the  fire,  and  driving  away  Thunder 
and  Lightning. 

Next  to  fight  was  Lox,  the  Indian  Devil. 
Now  Lox  was  always  a  coward,  and  having 
heard  of  the  misfortunes  of  his  friends,  he  cut 
off  one  of  his  big  toes,  and  when  Striped 
Squirrel  called  him  to  begin  the  battle,  he 
excused  himself,  saying  that  he  was  lame  and 
could  not  move. 

Next  in  order  came  K'tchiplagan,  the  Eagle, 
whose  poohegan  was  "  Aplasiimbressit,"  the 
Whirlwind.  When  he  entered  the  enemy's 
abode  in  all  his  fury  and  frenzy  of  noise,  the 
Giant  Witch  awoke  from  sleep,  and  instantly 
"  K'plamusuke  "  lost  his  breath  and  was  unable 
to  speak;  he  signed  to  Humming-bird  to  go 
for  "  CuUoo,"  the  lord  of  all  great  birds ;  but 
the  Whirlwind  was  so  strong  that  the  Humming- 
bird   could  not  get  out  of  the   cave,  being 


' 


^^ 


% 


26 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


I   \ 


1    ll-    ! 


beaten  back  again  and  again.  Therefore  the 
Giant  Witch  bade  Thought  summon  CuUoo. 
In  an  instant  the  great  bird  was  at  his  side, 
and  made  such  a  strong  wind  with  his  wings 
at  the  mouth  of  the  cave  that  the  power  of  the 
Whirlwind  was  destroyed. 

Hassagwakq'  now  began  to  despair,  for  but 
one  witch  remained  to  him,  and  that  was 
Wabe-k^loch,  the  Wild  Goose,  who  was  very 
quiet,  though  a  clever  fellow,  never  quarrelling 
^th  any  one,  and  not  regarded  as  a  powerful 
warrior.  But  the  great  chief  had  a  dream  in 
which  he  saw  a  monstrous  giant  standing  at  the 
mouth  of  the  enemy's  cave.  He  was  so  tall  that 
he  reached  from  the  earth  to  the  sky,  and  he 
said  that  all  that  was  needful  in  order  to  destroy 
the  foe  was  to  let  some  young  woman  entice  him 
out  of  his  lair,  when  he  would  at  once  lose  his 
magic  power  and  might  readily  be  slain. 

The  chief  repeated  this  dream  to  Wabe- 
k^loch,  ordering  him  to  obey  these  wise  words. 
Wild  Goose's  poohegan  was  "  Miktimwess,"  the 
Indian  Puck,  a  fairy  elf,  who  speedily  took  the 
shape  of  a  beautiful  girl  and  went  to  the  mouth 
of  the  cave,  where  he  climbed  into  a  tall  hem- 
lock-tree, singing  this  song  as  he  mounted : 


tv  i^m 


m^ 


THE  FIGHT  OF  THE  WITCHES  ^7 

"  Come  hither,  young  man, 
Come  list  to  my  song, 
Come  forth  this  lovely  night, 
Come  forth,  for  the  moon  shines  bright, 
Come,  see  the  leaves  so  red, 
Come,  breathe  the  air  so  pure." 

'riant  AA^tch  heard  the  voice,  and  coming  to 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  he  was  so  charmed  by 
the  music  that  he  stepped  out  and  saw  a  most 
lovely  girl  sitting  among  the  branches  of  a  tree. 
She  called  to  him :  "  WUitt  hoddnt'n,  natcktpen 
equlin  v/liketnqu*  himus"  —  "  Please,  kind  old 
man,  help  me  down  from  this  tree."  As  soon 
as  he  approached  her,  Glus-kab^,  the  great 
king  of  men,  sprang  from  behind  the  tree,  threw 
his  "  timhegan,"  his  stone  hatchet,  at  him  and 
split  his  head  open.  Then  addressing  him,  Glus- 
kab6  said:  "You  have  been  a  wicked  witch, 
and  have  destroyed  many  of  Chief  Hassagwakq's 
best  warriors.  Now  speak  yet  once  again  and 
tell  where  you  have  laid  the  bones  of  your  vic- 
tims." Giant  Witch  replied  that  in  the  hollow 
of  the  mountain  rested  a  vast  heap  of  human 
bones,  all  that  remained  of  what  were  once  the 
mightiest  men  of  Striped  Squirrel's  tribe. 

He  then  being  dead,  Glus-kab6  commanded 
all  the  birds  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the 


17- 


mmff 


\i 


28 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


I- 

Ir 


forest  to  assemble  and  devour  the  body  of  Giant 
Witch. 

This  being  done,  Glus-kab6  ordered  the  beasts 
to  go  into  the  cave  and  bring  forth  the  bones  of 
the  dead  warriors,  which  they  did.  He  next 
bade  the  birds  take  each  a  bone  in  his  beak  and 
pile  them  together  at  the  village  of  Hassagwakq'. 

He  then  directed  that  chief  to  build  a  high 
wall  of  great  stones  around  the  heap  of  bones, 
to  cover  them  with  wood,  and  make  ready 
"  equnak*n,"  or  a  hot  bath. 

Then  Glus-kab^  set  the  wood  on  fire  and 
began  to  sing  his  magic  song;  soon  he  bade 
the  people  heap  more  wood  upon  the  fire,  and 
pour  water  on  the  steaming  stones.  He  sang 
louder  and  louder,  faster  and  faster,  until  his 
voice  shook  the  whole  village ;  and  he  ordered 
the  people  to  stop  their  ears  lest  the  strength  of 
his  voice  should  kill  them.  Then  he  redoubled 
his  singing,  and  the  bones  began  to  move  with 
the  heat,  and  to  sizzle  and  smoke  and  g^ve  forth 
a  strange  sound.  Then  Glus-kab6  sang  his  resur- 
rection song  in  a  low  tone ;  at  last  the  bones  be- 
gan to  chant  with  him ;  he  threw  on  more  water, 
and  the  bones  came  together  in  their  natural  order 
and  became  living  human  beings  once  more. 


THE  FIGHT  OF  THE  WITCHES 


189 


The  people  were  amazed  with  astonishment 
at  Glus-kab^'s  might ;  and  the  great  Chief  Has- 
sagwakq'  gathered  together  all  the  neighboring 
tribes  and  celebrated  the  marvellous  event  with 
the  resurrection  feast,  which  lasted  many  days, 
and  the  tribe  of  Striped  Squirrel  was  never 
troubled  by  evil  witches  forever  afterward. 


n 


t 


I'j 


ULISKE* 

I  WAS  sitting  on  the  beach  one  afternoon  with 
old  Louisa  Flansouay  (Francois)  and  the  other 
Indians,  when  she  suddenly  rose  with  an  air  of 
great  determination,  saying  to  me,  "  Come  into 
camp  and  I  tell  you  a  story !  "  (No  story  can 
ever  be  told  in  the  open  air ;  if  the  narrator  be 
not  under  cover,  evil  spirits  may  easily  take 
possession  of  her.) 

I  gladly  followed  old  Louisa,  who  is  a  noted 
story-teller,  and  heard  the  following  brief  but 
thrilling  tale. 

Many,  many  years  ago  a  great  chief  had  an 
only  daughter  who  was  so  handsome  that  she 
was  always  known  by  the  name  of  "Uliske," 
which  is  to  say  "  Beauty."  All  the  young  men 
of  the  tribe  sought  her  hand  in  marriage,  but 
she  would  have  nothing  to  say  to  them.  Her 
father  vainly  implored  her  to  make  a  choice; 

*  C.  G.  Leland  gives  a  similar  story  in  his  "  Algonquin 
Legends  of  New  England." 


ULISKE 


31 


but  she  only  answered  him, "  No  husband  whom 
I  could  take,  would  ever  be  any  good  to  me." 

Every  year  at  a  certain  season,  she  wandered 
off  by  herself  and  was  gone  for  many  days; 
where  she  went  no  one  could  discover,  nor 
could  she  be  restrained  when  the  appointed 
time  came  round. 

At  last,  however,  she  yielded  to  persuasion  and 
took  a  husband.  For  a  time  all  went  well. 
When  the  season  for  her  absence  was  at  hand, 
she  told  her  husband  that  she  must  go.  He 
said  he  would  go  with  her,  and  as  she  made  no 
objection,  they  set  out  on  the  following  morning 
and  travelled  until  they  came  to  a  lovely,  lonely 
lake.  A  point  of  land  ran  out  into  the  water, 
well  wooded  and  provided  with  a  pleasant  wig- 
wam. Here  tjliske  beached  the  canoe;  they 
went  ashore  and  remained  for  two  days  and 
nights,  when  the  husband  disappeared.  Uliske 
in  due  time  returned  to  her  tribe  and  reported 
his  loss.  Her  father  and  his  followers  sought 
long  and  anxiously,  but  no  trace  of  him  was  ever 
found.  Later  on,  Uliske  took  a  second  hus- 
band, a  third  and  a  fourth,  always  quietly  yield- 
ing to  persuasion,  and  always  saying  as  at  first, 
that  no  husband  whom  she  took  could  ever  be 


i 


n 


■7 


■r 


f  '; 


I.  5 

I'i 


32 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


any  good  to  her.  One  after  the  other  visited 
with  her  the  peninsula  in  the  lake  and  disap- 
peared in  the  same  sudden  and  mysterious  way. 
The  fifth  husband  was  known  as  "  U-el-um- 
bek/'  "  the  handsome,  the  brave,"  and  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  solve  the  strange  riddle  of  his 
predecessors.  When  he  and  Uliske  reached  the 
peninsula,  he  said  that,  while  she  got  supper,  he 
would  keep  on  in  the  canoe  and  see  what  fish 
or  game  he  could  find.  He  went  but  a  little 
way,  then  drew  the  canoe  up  among  the  bushes 
and  searched  in  every  direction  till  he  found  a 
well  beaten  foot-path.  "  Now  I  shall  know  all," 
he  ssud,  and  hid  himself  behind  a  tree.  Soon 
Uliske  came  from  the  wigwam  and  went  down 
to  the  water.  Undressing  herself,  and  letting 
down  her  long  black  hair,  she  began  to  beat 
upon  the  water  with  a  stick  and  to  sing  an 
ancient  Indian  song.  As  she  sang,  the  water 
began  to  heave  and  boil,  and  coil  after  coil 
slowly  uprose  above  the  surface  a  huge  Wi- 
will-mekq',  a  loathly  worm,  its  great  horns  as  red 
as  fire.  It  swam  ashore  and  clasped  Uliske  in 
its  scaly  folds,  wrapping  her  from  head  to  foot, 
while  she  caressed  it  with  a  look  of  delight. 
Then   U-d-fim-bek  knew  aU.     The   Wi-will- 


S: 


".■S'rrjrfXfrri':: 


I^m 


ULISKE 


33 


mekq'  had  cast  a  spell  upon  Uliske  so  that  to 
her  it  appeared  in  the  likeness  of  a  beautiful 
young  hero.  The  worm  had  destroyed  her  four 
husbands,  and,  had  he  not  been  prudent,  would 
have  drowned  him  as  well.  Waiting  until  Uliske 
was  alone,  he  returned  to  the  wigwam  before 
she  had  had  time  to  wash  off  the  slimy  traces  of 
Wi-will-mekq's  embraces,  and  charged  her  with 
her  infatuation.  Giving  her  no  time  to  answer, 
he  hurriedly  chewed  a  magic  root  with  which 
he  had  provided  himself,  flung  it  into  the  lake, 
thus  preventing  any  attack  as  he  crossed  the 
water,  got  into  the  canoe  and  paddled  away, 
leaving  Uliske  to  her  fate,  well  knowing  that  as 
she  had  failed  to  supply  her  loathly  lover  with 
a  fresh  victim,  she  must  herself  become  the  prey 
of  his  keen  appetite. 

Rejoining  his  tribe,  he  frankly  told  his  story. 
Even  the  chief  declared  that  he  had  done  well, 
and  of  Uliske  nothing  more  was  ever  heard. 


i 


^tmi 


^^m 


STORY  OF  WALUT 


•I' 

I 
I 


i 


> 


In  old  times  there  were  many  witches  among 
the  Indians.  Indeed,  almost  every  one  was 
more  or  less  of  a  magician  or  sorcerer,  and  it 
was  only  a  question  as  to  whose  power  was  the 
strongest. 

In  the  da3rs  of  which  I  speak,  one  family 
had  been  almost  exterminated  by  the  spells  of 
a  famous  m't^Qlin,  and  only  one  old  woman 
named  "  M'd6w't'len,"  the  Loon,  and  her  infant 
grandson  were  left  alive;  and  she,  fearing  lest 
they  should  meet  with  the  same  fate,  strapped 
the  baby  on  her  back  upon  a  board  bound  to 
her  forehead,  as  was  the  ancient  way,  and  set 
forth  into  the  wilderness.  At  night  she  halted, 
built  a  wigwam  of  boughs  and  bark,  and  lay 
down,  lost  in  sad  thoughts  of  the  future;  for 
there  was  no  brave  now  to  hunt  and  fish  for  her, 
and  she  must  needs  starve  and  the  baby  too. 
As  she  mourned  her  desolate  state,  a  voice  said 
in  her  ear :  "  You  have  a  man,  a  brave  man. 


STORY  OF  WALUT 


35 


WalQt,'  the  mighty  warrior ;  and  all  shall  be  well 
if  you  will  take  the  beaver  skin  from  your  old 
'  t'ban-kagan/  '  spread  it  on  the  floor,  and  place 
the  baby  on  it."  This  she  did,  and  then  fell 
peacefully  asleep.  When  she  waked,  she  saw, 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  skin,  a  tall  man. 
At  first,  she  was  terrified ;  but  the  stranger  said, 
"Fear  not,  '  Nochgemiss,' "  it  is  only  I!"  and 
truly,  as  she  gazed,  she  recognized  the  features 
of  the  baby  whom  she  had  laid  upon  the  beaver 
fur,  so  few  hours  before.  Even  before  day 
dawned,  he  had  brought  in  a  huge  bear,  skinned 
and  dressed  it.  All  day  he  came  and  went, 
bringing  fish  and  game,  great  and  small,  and 
the  old  woman  was  glad. 

Next  morning,  the  skin  which  hung  at  the 
door  of  the  wigwam  was  raised,  and  a  girl 
looked  in  and  smiled  at  Walut.  His  grand- 
mother said, "  Follow  her  not,  for  she  is  a  witch, 
and  would  destroy  you."  The  next  day  and 
the  next  and  so  on,  for  five  days,  the  same  thing 
was  repeated ;  but  on  the  sixtli  day,  the  girl  not 

1  Magician. 

3  A  pack  kettle  made  of  birch  bark,  used  by  the  Indian 
before  the  days  of  trunks.  I  have  a  toy  one  a  hundred 
years  old  or  more. 

*  Grandmother. 


^^fmum 


mmm 


mm 


i^PHV 


f 


.1    ? 

t  h 


I 


36 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


only  lifted  the  curtain,  but  she  entered  in,  went 
straight  to  Walut's  sleeping  place  and  began  to 
arrange  his  bed.  This  done,  she  drew  from  her 
bosom  "  nokoksis,"  tiny  brass  kettles,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  cook  a  meal, —  soup,  corn  and  meat, — 
all  in  perfect  silence.  Grandmother  watched  her, 
but  said  nothing.  When  the  meal  was  cooked, 
the  girl  set  a  birch-bark  dish  before  grandmother 
and  Walut,  and  began  to  ladle  out  the  soup.  Al- 
though the  kettle  v/as  so  small  that  it  seemed 
no  bigger  than  a  child's  toy,  both  the  dishes 
were  filled  and  plenty  then  remained.  No  word 
was  said ;  but  when  night  came,  the  girl  lay  down 
beside  Walut  and  thus,  by  ancient  Indian  law, 
became  his  wife.  Their  happy  life,  however, 
was  of  short  duration,  for  the  girl's  mother, 
"  Tomaqu^,"  the  Beaver,  was  a  mighty  magician, 
and  was  angry  because  her  daughter  had  mar- 
ried without  her  consent.  She  therefore  stole 
her  away  and  deprived  her  of  all  memory  of  her 
husband  and  the  past.  Walut  was  determined 
to  recover  his  bride,  and  his  grandmother,  wish- 
ing to  help  him,  took  from  the  old  bark  ket- 
tle a  miniature  bow  and  arrows.  These  she 
stretched  and  stretched  until  they  became  of 
heroic  size.    She  strung  the  bow  with  a  strand 


^^P" 


STORY  or  wXlut 


57 


of  her  own  hair,  and  gave  it  to  her  grandson, 
telling  him  that  no  arrow  shot  from  that  bow 
could  ever  miss  its  mark.  She  also  dressed  him 
from  head  to  foot  in  the  garb  of  an  ancient 
warrior,  formerly  the  property  of  his  grand- 
father, as  was  the  bow.  She  told  him  that  he 
had  a  long,  hard  road  to  go,  and  many  trials  to 
overcome ;  but  he  was  not  afraid.  All  day  he 
travelled,  and,  at  night  fall,  came  to  a  wigwam  in 
which  lived  an  old  man.  Walut  asked  him 
where  Tomaqu^  might  be  found.  The  old  man 
answered :  "  I  cannot  tell  you,  my  child.  You 
must  ask  my  brother  who  lives  farther  on.  He 
is  much  older  than  I,  and  he  may  know.  To- 
night you  can  rest  here,  if  you  can  put  up  with 
the  hardships  of  my  wigwam."  Walut  accepted 
this  offer,  and  the  old  man  began  to  heap  great 
stones  on  the  fire.  It  grew  hotter  and  hotter, 
and  Walut  thought  his  last  hour  had  come ;  but 
he  said  to  himself,  "  I  can  suffer,"  and  he  piled 
more  stones  on  the  fire,  and  built  a  wall  of 
them  about  the  wigwam,  so  that  it  grew  hotter 
than  ever,  and  the  old  man  said,  "Let  me 
out,  let  me  out,  I  am  too  hot !  "  But  Walut 
said,  "  I  am  cold,  I  am  cold !  "  and  so  he  con- 
quered the  first  magician. 


mm 


38 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


\i 


Next  night  he  came  to  the  home  of  the 
second  brother,  who  made  the  same  answer  to 
his  inquiries  as  the  first,  and  also  offered  him  a 
night's  shelter  if  he  could  bear  the  hardships  of 
the  wigwam.  No  sooner  had  W§lut  accepted 
his  offer,  than  he  sat  down  and  bade  his  guest 
pick  the  insects  from  his  head  and  destroy 
them,  after  the  old  custom,  by  cracking  them 
between  his  teeth.  Now  these  insects  were 
venomous  toads  which  would  blister  Walut's 
lips  and  poison  his  blood.  Luckily  he  had  a 
handful  of  cranberries  in  his  pocket,  and  for 
every  toad,  he  bit  a  cranberry.^  The  old  man 
was  completely  deceived,  and  when  he  thought 
that  his  guest  had  imbibed  enough  poison  to 
destroy  him,  he  bade  him  desist  from  his  task. 
Thus  Walut  passed  successfully  through  the 
second  trial.  On  the  third  day  he  journeyed 
until  he  came  to  the  abode  of  the  third  brother, 
oldest  of  all,  seemingly  just  tottering  on  the 
brink  of  the  grave.  Walut  again  asked  for 
Tomaqu^,  and  the  old  man  answered:  "To- 
morrow, I  will  tell  you.  Rest  here  to-night,  if 
you  can  bear  the  hardships  of  my  home."  As 
they  sat  by  the  fire  the  old  man  began  to  rub 

^  This  incident  occurs  in  several  tales. 


^m 


^^^mm 


mi 


.™„-JLiP«:l.'.Jill 


STORY  OF  WALUT 


39 


his  knee,  and  instantly  flames  of  fire  darted 
from  every  side ;  but  W§lut  was  on  his  guard, 
and  uttered  a  spell  which  drew  the  old  man 
slowly,  but  surely,  into  the  fire  which  he  had 
created,  and  he  perished.  "  Rub  your  knee,  old 
man,"  cried  Walut,  "  rub  your  knee  until  you 
are  tired  I  " 

Next  morning  as  he  drew  the  curtain,  boom, 
boom,  a  noise  like  thunder  fell  upon  his  ear. 
It  was  the  drumming  of  a  giant  partridge. 
Walut  fitted  an  arrow  to  his  bow  and  shot  the 
bird  to  the  heart,  well  knowing  that  it  was  his 
wife's  sister  "Kakagus,"  the  Crow,  who  had 
come  to  capture  him.  Towards  evening  he 
reached  a  great  mountain  towering  above  a 
quiet  lake.  As  he  looked,  he  saw  upon  the, 
summit,  his  wife,  embroidering  a  garment  with 
porcupine  quills,  for  this  was  where  she  lived 
with  her  mother.  Catching  sight  of  him,  she 
plunged  at  once  into  the  centre  of  the  moun- 
tain, having  no  memory  of  her  husband.  He, 
however,  hid  himself,  feeling  sure  that  she  would 
come  forth  again,  and  being  determined  to 
seize  her  before  she  could  again  disappear. 
Soon  indeed  he  saw  her  and  tried  to  grasp  her, 
but  only  caught  at  her  long  hair.    Instantly, 


40 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


she  drew  her  knife,  cut  off  her  hair,  and  van- 
ished into  the  mountain,  where  her  mother 
loudly  reprimanded  her,  saying,  "I  told  you 
never  to  go  outside;  you  see  now  that  I  was 
right.  Nothing  remains  but  for  you  to  go  in 
search  of  your  hair."  Next  day,  therefore,  the 
girl  set  forth,  and  on  reaching  the  wigwam  of 
the  second  old  man,  her  grandfather,  for  all  of 
the  old  men  were  of  her  kin,  the  veil  was  lifted 
and  she  knew  that  it  was  her  husband  who  had 
sought  her  and  stolen  her  hair.  She  at  once 
rejoined  him ;  he  restored  her  long  locks,  and, 
by  his  magic  power,  they  again  grew  upon  her 
head  and  for  a  year  all  went  well.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  she. became  the  mother  of  a 
boy,  whom  she  called  "  Kiuny  "  the  Otter.  Soon 
all  the  game  and  fish  disappeared.  Walut  went 
out  every  day,  searching  the  woods  and  waters 
for  many  miles  around ;  but,  night  after  night, 
he  came  home  empty-handed,  and  starvation 
seemed  very  near  at  hand.  Then  Nochgemiss, 
the  Grandmother,  warned  them  that  Tomaqu^ 
was  bent  on  revenge,  and  bade  Walut  go  forth 
and  slay  her.  She  armed  him  with  a  bone, 
spear  from  the  old  pack  kettle,  and  he  travelled 
to  the  mountain.      It  was  mid-winter  and  the 


■"TT- 


^.^  <" 


■^1^ 


STORY  OF  WALUT 


41 


lake  was  covered  with  clear  ice.  Deep  down 
beneath  the  ice  a  giant  beaver  swam  to  and  fro, 
no  other  than  Tomaqu^  herself.  Vainly  Walut 
plunged  his  spear  into  the  depths.  Again  and 
again  she  evaded  him,  until,  in  a  fury,  he  cried, 
"  Your  life  or  mine !  "  and  at  last  succeeded  in 
striking  her ;  but  so  powerful  was  she  that  she 
raised  him  into  the  air,  using  the  spear  in  his 
hand  as  a  lever,  the  other  end  being  deep  in  her 
side.  The  result  seemed  doubtful ;  but  grand- 
mother, who  knew  all  that  was  passing,  flew  to 
her  boy's  aid  and,  in  the  shape  of  a  huge  snake, 
Atosis,  wound  herself  about  Tomaqu^,  fold  upon 
fold,  and  at  last  conquered  the  foe  and  crushed 
her  to  death,  Walut  dealing  the  final  stroke. 

Grandmother  hastened  home,  leaving  Walut 
unconscious  of  the  help  that  she  had  given 
him,  and  found  Kiuny  gasping  with  fever.  His 
mother,  well  aware  of  all  that  had  passed, 
through  the  power  of  second  sight,  also  knew 
that  the  baby's  illness  was  caused  by  Tomaqu^'s 
dying  curse.  Meantime  Walut  returned,  and 
his  grandmother  told  him  that  all  she  could  do, 
would  be  to  save  him ;  that  wife  and  child  must 
perish,  as  indeed  they  soon  did. 

Not  long  after,  in  the  early  morning,  a  girl 


mfmm^tn^^m 


t 


^11 


It  I ; 

.    i       I 
-      t 

ill  ^ 


■     ;l 


.1    i 


\  A 


:i 


j»  i 


4a 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


lifted  the  skin  which  hung  at  the  opening  of  the 
wigwam  and  looked  in.  As  Walut  glanced  up 
at  her,  she  fled.  He  pursued  her,  but  almost 
instantly  lost  sight  of  her.  Next  day,  came 
another  girl,  to  whom  he  also  gave  chase,  also 
in  vain.  On  the  third  morning,  he  was  more 
successful,  because  this  time  the  g^rl  was  more 
willing  to  be  followed.  He  tracked  her  to  her 
home,  but  did  not  enter,  wishing  first  to  consult 
his  grandmother.  She  told  him  that  these  were 
the  three  daughters  of  "Modawes,"  or  Famine. 
The  youngest  girl,  she  said,  would  be  a  good 
wife  to  him;  and  she  directed  him,  when  she 
came  next  day,  to  touch  her  lightly  on  the  arm. 

The  girl  came;  he  pursued  her  and,  fleet- 
footed  though  she  was,  he  managed  to  touch 
her  before  she  escaped  into  her  mother's  wig- 
wam. Ere  long,  to  her  mother's  rage  and  fury, 
but  much  to  the  deMght  of  her  sisters,  a  little 
boy  was  born  to  her,  who,  in  reality,  was  Walut 
endowed  with  this  form  by  his  grandmother's 
aid,  —  no  baby,  but  a  strong  brave  man. 

Now,  Modawes  was  a  cannibal,  and  the  ridge- 
pole of  her  wigwam  was  strung  with  cups  made 
from  the  skulls  of  her  victims.  Walut,  seeing 
these,  was  at  once  aware  that  they  were  all  that 


*J 


STORY  OF  WALUT 


43 


was  left  of  those  who  had  fallen  prey  to  the 
witch's  horrible  appetite.     He  resolved  to  slay 
her;  but  as  her  daughters  had  been  very  kind 
to  him,  he  wished  to  spare  them,  and  said  to 
himself:  "  I  wish  that  a  snow-white  deer  would 
pass  by!"    Instantly,  the  white  deer  moved 
slowly  before  the  door.    The  three  girls  sprang 
after  it.    Walut  rose  to  his  full  stature;  clad  in 
his  grandfather's  ancient  dress,  he  snatched  his 
timhegan  from  his  belt  and,  with  a  single  blow, 
laid  Modawes  dead  at  his  feet.     He  then  set 
fire  to  the  wigwam  and  returned  to  Grand- 
mother Loon.    When  the  three  daughters  of 
Modawes  gave  up  their  hopeless  chase  of  the 
enchanted  deer  and  came  home,  no  home  was 
there,  only  a    black    heap  of   ashes.      They 
mourned  for  their  dear  baby,  whom  they  nat- 
urally supposed  had  perished  in  the  flames ;  but 
they  never  again  found  the  path  which  led  to 
Walut's  lodge. 


I, 


\ 


)l 


■  Hi 


OLD  SNOWBALL 

Many  years  ago  an  Indian  family,  consisting  of 
an  old  father  and  mother,  their  two  sons,  and 
their  baby  grandson  were  camping  in  the  woods 
for  the  winter  hunt.  In  the  same  neighborhood 
lived  a  horrible  old  witch  and  her  three  daugh- 
ters. This  witch  ate  nothing  but  men's  brains 
and  skulls.  She  would  pick  the  bones  clean, 
and  dry  them,  and  had  a  long  row  of  such 
trophies  all  round  the  upper  part  of  her  wig- 
wam, looking  like  so  many  snowballs.  From 
this  she  took  her  name,  and  was  known  as  old 
Snowball.  The  girls  were  very  beautiful,  and 
set  out  by  turns  every  evening  to  ensnare  some 
young  man  for  their  mother's  meal.  So  it  hap- 
pened that  soon  after  the  Indian  family  had 
settled  in  camp,  one  tvdlight,  as  they  sat  round 
the  fire,  a  beautiful  girl  passed  by,  so  charming 
the  eldest  son,  that  he  set  out  in  pursuit  of  her 
and  never  returned,  having  fallen  a  prey  to 
Snowball.    A  night  or  two  later,  another  equally 


«     ■<  w 


^p 


^F 


OLD  SNOWBALL 


45 


lovely  girl  appeared,  and  the  second  son,  who 
was  a  widower,  and  the  father  of  the  baby  boy, 
started  to  chase  her,  with  the  same  result.  The 
same  fate  befell  even  the  old  man,  and  the  poor 
old  woman  was  left  alone  with  the  baby.  She 
was  terribly  afraid  that  the  witch  would  get  him 
too,  and  kept  him  hidden  in  a  great  birch-bark 
basket,  t'ban-kagan.  As  he  grew  older  and 
began  to  talk  and  run  about,  he  was  always 
wishing  that  he  were  a  grown  man,  that  he 
might  help  his  grandmother,  hunt  for  her  and 
fetch  in  wood  for  her.  At  last,  the  old  woman, 
who  was  something  of  a  magician,  told  him  that 
if  he  really  was  so  anxious  to  be  big,  he  might 
lie  down  that  night  on  the  other  side  of  the  fire, 
and  she  would  see  what  could  be  done.  Next 
morning,  behold,  he  was  a  full  grown  man.  His 
grandmother  brought  out  her  husband's  pack 
kettle,  and  gave  him  all  the  tools  and  weapons 
which  he  needed,  stringing  his  bow  with  her 
own  hair.  Thenceforth,  he  brought  in  plenty  of 
game,  and  they  would  have  been  very  happy  if 
the  old  woman  had  not  constantly  dreaded  the 
appearance  of  the  witch's  daughter.  At  last  she 
came,  looking  more  fascinating  than  ever ;  but 
the  young  man  went  on  with  his  work,  and  never 


46 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


■■I  mh. 


ri! 


Kfl 


raised  his  eyes.  Next  night,  the  second  daugh- 
ter passed  by;  he  looked  up  at  her,  but  that 
was  all.  The  third  night,  the  third  daughter, 
youngest  and  fairest  of  all,  appeared.  He 
sprang  up  to  follow  her ;  but  his  grandmother 
begged  him  to  stay,  or  she  would  kill  him  as 
she  had  slain  so  many  of  his  family.  He  finally 
consented  to  wait  till  another  night,  and  said 
that  he  would  not  chase  her,  but  merely  follow 
and  see  where  she  went.  His  grandmother  wept 
bitterly,  but  did  her  best  to  ward  off  misfortune, 
by  seeing  that  he  took  the  bow  strung  with  her 
haur,  and  also  a  certain  small  bone  from  the 
mink,  possessed  of  great  magical  power.  The 
young  man  soon  turned  himself  into  a  tiny  bird, 
"  chukalisq',"  and  hopped  about  almost  in  reach 
of  the  girl's  hand.  He  seemed  so  tame  that  she 
thought  she  might  lay  her  hand  on  him,  and 
indeed  after  several  attempts  she  did  contrive  to 
catch  him  and  put  him  in  her  bosom.  Then 
she  ran  home  to  tell  her  mother  of  the  lovely 
bird  that  she  had  found.  "That  is  no  bird," 
said  her  mother;  "just  let  me  look  at  him." 
She  put  her  hand  in  her  breast,  but  there  was 
nothing  there.  From  that  moment  she  grew 
bigger  and  bigger,  and  in  due  time  gave  birth  to 


^^m 


^P 


^F" 


OLD  SNOWBALL 


47 


a  fine  boy.  Her  mother  wanted  to  kill  the  child ; 
but  she  would  not  consent,  and,  for  safe  keep- 
ing, carried  the  baby  always  in  an  Indian  bark 
cradle  strapped  over  her  shoulders.  Meantime, 
the  spell  of  her  beauty  held  possession  of  the 
young  man,  and  he  could  not  rest  till  he  saw 
her  once  more.  Turning  himself  into  a  deer, 
he  sought  Snowball's  lodge,  where  he  gambolled 
and  played  about  until  the  three  girls  ran  out  to 
see  the  pretty  creature,  forgetting  the  baby  who 
had  been  left  behind.  The  deer  led  them  into 
the  forest,  and  then  sped  back  to  the  lodge, 
where  he  found  the  witch  just  about  to  kill  the 
child  and  devour  its  brains.  Taking  his  spear, 
he  at  once  slew  her  and,  hiding  himself,  killed 
the  two  older  girls  in  turn  as  they  returned 
home.  When  the  third  daughter  appeared,  he 
stepped  forward  and  claimed  her  as  his  wife. 
"  Now,"  said  he,  "  you  must  stand  aside,  for  I 
am  going  to  burn  up  the  lodge  with  the  bodies 
of  your  mother  and  sisters."  She  was  very  un- 
willing, but  at  last  yielded.  The  old  witch  was 
loath  to  die,  and  rose  repeatedly  from  the  flames ; 
but  the  magic  spear  was  too  much  for  her. 
The  young  man,  with  his  wife  and  baby,  went 
home  to  his  grandmother,  and  for  a  year  lived 


mm 


w^ 


A' 
111 


in  I 


48 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


very  happily.  Then  the  young  woman  be- 
came sad  and  silent  and,  when  questioned,  said 
that  great  trouble  was  at  hand,  that  her  aunt, 
who  was  a  powerful  sorceress,  was  coming  to 
avenge  the  murder  of  her  kindred,  and  she  feared 
the  consequences.  The  grandmother  made  all 
preparations,  this  time  stringing  the  bow  with 
the  young  woman's  hair.  Next  day  the  baby 
began  to  cry,  and  nothing  would  quiet  him, 
until  the  old  woman  thought  of  giving  him  her 
husband's  bark  pack  kettle,  where  some  of  his 
ancient  treasures  were  still  kept.  Then  the 
baby  smiled,  and  began  to  turn  over  the  things 
and  play  with  them.  Suddenly  he  laughed 
aloud  and  cooed  for  joy  and  toddled  to  his 
father  with  a  little  bone.  "  Fool  that  I  am," 
exclaimed  the  old  woman,  "  how  could  I  forget 
that !  This  may  save  us  yet."  (It  was  Luz,  the 
ancient  resurrection  bone  of  the  Jews,  and  had 
once  formed  part  of  the  anatomy  of  one  of  the 
greatest  magicians  ever  known.)  The  young 
man  bound  it  to  the  head  of  his  spear  and  set 
forth,  his  grandmother  having  told  him  that  the 
time  had  come,  and  that  he  must  that  day  kill 
the  great  Beaver  (his  wife's  aunt),  or  the  whole 
family  must  perish.     He  soon  came  to  a  great 


OLD  SNOWBALL 


49 


lake  where  there  was  a  beaver  dam  as  high  as  a 
mountain.  He  could  see  the  big  Beaver  mov- 
ing about  under  the  ice ;  but  all  his  efforts  to 
pierce  the  ice  were  in  vain,  it  grew  thicker  and 
thicker  under  his  spear,  and  rose  in  great  waves. 
He  returned  at  nightfall  discouraged,  but  started 
out  again  next  day,  his  grandmother  tearing 
apart  her  scarlet  bead-wrought  legging,  and  bid- 
ding him  fling  that  on  the  ice  to  see  if  it  would 
not  break  the  charm.  All  day  he  strove,  but 
even  the  legging  was  of  no  avail.  Next  day  he 
took  the  second  legging,  and  at  last  succeeded 
in  striking  his  spear  through  the  ice  and  into  the 
enemy,  Quabit.  Then  began  a  mighty  battle, 
Beaver  struggling  to  break  the  spear  or  to 
escape,  and  the  young  man  fighting  to  retain  his 
hold.  At  home  the  baby  began  to  scream  and 
cry,  and  the  women  knew  their  hero  was  in  dan- 
ger. The  grandmother  wept  as  if  her  boy  were 
already  dead ;  but  his  wife  said,  "  Fear  not,  for  I 
will  help  him."  She  flung  a  handful  of  magic 
roots  out  at  the  door,  and  instantly  a  sheet  of 
water  lay  there,  and  she  was  at  her  husband's 
side.  She  told  him  not  to  loose  the  spear, 
but  to  watch  well,  that  she  would  fight  his 
battle.    "If  you  see  me  pass  under  the  ice 

4 


so 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


before  my  aunt,  all  is  well ;  but  if  she  comes  first, 
she  has  conquered,  and  we  must  all  perish.  I 
shall  be  all  white  like  snow,  while  she  is  jet 
black."  The  young  man  stood  rooted  to  the 
spot,  while  the  ice  cracked  and  heaved  with 
fearful  noises.  At  last  the  white  beaver  passed 
before  him  under  the  clear  ice,  and  he  knew  that 
victory  was  his.  His  wife  then  told  him  that 
there  was  still  another  and  a  more  terrible  enemy 
to  be  conquered  before  he  and  his  could  be  safe. 
This  triumph  too  she  gained,  though  at  a  fear- 
ful cost,  for  she  was  never  again  to  see  her 
husband,  home,  or  child.  The  young  man  went 
back  to  his  grandmother  with  drooping  head, 
and  heard  how  the  baby  had  kept  his  grand- 
mother informed  of  the  progress  of  the  fight  by 
his  changing  tears  and  smiles.  And  that  is  all 
about  it. 


'!  ?M  f 


1 


"■»^  •*.^    *•-  -« 


AL-WtJS-KI-NI-GESS,  THE  SPIRIT  OF 
THE  WOODS 


Seeing  a  smoke  come  from  the  top  of  a  moun- 
tain, the  children  asked  the  elders  what  it  was, 
or  who  could  live  there,  and  the  fathers  told 
them :  "  That  is  the  home  of '  Al-wus-ki-ni-gess,' 
a  tree-cutter,  whose  hatchet  is  made  of  stone. 
He  throws  it  from  him ;  it  cuts  the  tree  and 
returns  to  its  master's  hand  at  each  blow.  One 
stroke  of  his  hatchet  will  fell  the  largest  tree. 
No  one  ever  saw  him  save  Glus-kab^,  who  often 
goes  to  the  cave  to  visit  him.  He  is  a  harmless 
creature,  and  only  fights  when  ordered  to  do  so 
by  Glus-kab6.  He  lives  in  that  mountain,  on 
deer,  moose,  or  any  meat  he  can  kill.  Some- 
times he  goes  out  to  sea  with  Glus-kabe,  to 
catch  '  K'chi  butep,'  the  Great  Whale. 

"  Al-wus-ki-ni-gess  and  *  Kiawahq' '  once  had 
a  big  fight,  which  lasted  for  two  days.  Kiawahq* 
put  forth  all  his  power  to  conquer,  but  failed. 
He   uprooted  huge   trees,  expecting  them  to 


52 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


fall  and  crush  his  rival  in  strength;  but  Al- 
wus-ki-ni-gess  would  hurl  his  hatchet  and  split 
the  tree  asunder.  Kiawahq'  strove  to  drag 
him  into  the  sea,  but  the  wood  spirit  is  as  strong 
in  the  water  as  on  land,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact 
that  when  he  is  in  the  water,  *  K'chiqui- 
nocktsh,'  the  Turtle,  comes  to  his  aid.  Once 
Kiawahq'  got  his  foe  between  two  great  trees 
and  felt  sure  he  could  slay  him  as  they  fell 
Al-wus-ki-ni-gess  seized  his  axe  and  struck 
the  trees  which  fell.  The  wind  caused  by  their 
fall  was  so  mighty  that  it  lefk  Kiawahq'  faint 
and  exhausted.  He  was  forced  to  beg  for 
quartet,  and  promised  his  enemy  that  if  he 
would  spare  his  life,  he  would  give  him  a  stone 
wigwam  and  be  his  good  friend  forever.  So  the 
wood  spirit  had  mercy  and  accepted  his  offer. 
That  is  how  he  got  that  cave  where  he  still  lives." 
This  was  the  answer  of  the  elders  to  their 
children's  question. 


W"   K^V 


-JUtliP 


-r^ 


Al- 
split 
drag 
rong 

fact 
iqui- 
Dnce 
trees 
'  fell, 
truck 
their 

faint 
y  for 
if  he 
stone 
0  the 

offer. 

•       >> 
ives. 

their 


MTEULIN,  THE  GREAT  WITCH 

In  a  certain  place,  alone  by  herself,  lived  an  old 
woman  whom  none  dared  to  approach,  for  she 
had  bewitched  many  Indians. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  when  the  men  came 
back  from  their  long  winter  hunting  for  furs, 
they  would  gather  together  and  build  what  they 
called  equ'nak'n,^  hot-baths,  to  drive  off  their 
diseases.  They  would  enter  the  hut,  and  heat  it 
red-hot  until  it  would  almost  roast  them.  They 
would  strip  off  their  clothes,  and  dance  and  sing 
songs  to  drive  off  disease. 

Once  before  the  performance  ended,  they 
were  amazed  to  see  a  woman  among  such  a 
crowd  of  men ;  but  they  feared  to  speak  to  her. 
One  young  man  laughed  when  she  threw  off  her 
clothes.  This  angered  her,  and  she  said :  "  You 
laugh  at  me  now;  but  I  will  send  a  flood  to 
destroy  you."    Then  she  left  the  hut. 

1  Stones  were  heated  in  a  fire  on  the  ground,  when 
red-hot,  cold  water  was  thrown  on  them  to  make  a  steam. 


54 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


After  a  time,  the  youth  who  had  laughed, 
said,  "Hark!" 

All  stopped  to  listen,  and  they  heard  the 
rush  of  water,  and  knew  the  witch  had  kept  her 
word,  —  the  flood  was  upon  them.  But  the 
young  man  was  something  of  a  sorcerer  too, 
and  had  a  rattlesnake  for  poohegan,  or  messen- 
ger (all  witches  have  at  least  one  poohegan). 

He  instantly  changed  all  his  comrades  into 
beaver  and  flsh. 

"Ha!  ha!"  laughed  "Copcomus,"  Little 
One,  for  such  was  the  youth's  name.  "You 
cannot  finish  your  work,  old  witch.  I  will  be 
avenged  on  you  yet.  I  will  pray  Glus-kab6  to 
follow  and  kill  you." 

They  all  swam  out  of  the  equ'nak'n,  and  when 
the  water  ceased  to  flow,  Copcomus  went  along 
the  stream  and  saw  a  large  number  of  beaver 
building  a  house  like  equ'nak'n,  so  he  changed 
them  all  back  to  Indians  again.  They  were 
very  glad,  and  thanked  him  heartily. 

"Now,"  said  Copcomus,  "we  must  hold  a 
council  at  once  and  decide  what  to  do  with  the 
old  witch,  for  she  will  try  to  destroy  us  yet." 

Some  said,  "  We  will  burn  her  wigwam ;  " 
one  said :  "  No,  she  would  know  of  our  coming 


M'TEULIN,  THE  GREAT  WITCH 


55 


and  turn  us  into  some  evil  thing ! "  Another 
said  his  idea  was  to  persuade  the  great  bird, 
Wuchowsen,  Wind,  to  move  his  wings  harder 
and  faster,  thus  causing  "  Uptossem,"  the  Whirl- 
wind, to  destroy  her;  but  Copcomus  said: 
"  I  will  see  to-night  what  is  best."  (Witches 
always  see  in  their  sleep  how  their  enemies  may 
be  destroyed). 

The  old  woman  too  saw  in  her  sleep  that 
Copcomus  was  plotting  to  kill  her;  so  she 
sent  her  messenger,  the  Humming-bird,  to  bid 
Wuchowsen  not  to  move  his  wings  faster  than 
usual. 

Copcomus  cried  to  his  poohegan :  "  Go,  creep 
into  her  wigwam  and  bite  the  old  witch ;  "  and 
he  tied  cedar  bark  about  the  snake's  rattle,  that 
it  might  make  no  noise. 

The  snake  went  by  night,  glided  in  and  bit  the 
old  woman's  big  toe.  The  pain  waked  her,  and 
her  toe  swelled  rapidly.  She  sent  the  Humming- 
bird to  seek  Al-wfis-ki-ni-gess,  the  Wood  Spirit. 

The  bird  flew  to  the  cave  in  the  mountain,  and 
when  Al-wus-ki-ni-gess  asked :  "  How  now,  little 
bird  ?  "  the  bird  replied :  "  The  Great  Witch  bids 
you  come  with  your  hatchet  without  delay." 
So  the  Spirit  lit  his  pipe  and  set  forth.    When 


56 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


M  » 


!flil 


I 


m 


he  reached  his  journey's  end,  he  found  the 
witch  moaning  with  pain.  "  What  is  the  matter, 
*  Mookmee '  [Grandma]  ?  "  he  asked. 

Her  only  reply  was :  "  Cut  off  my  toe  at 
once." 

He  raised  his  axe,  but  K'chiquinocktsh,  the 
Turtle,  Glus-kab6's  uncle,  who  had  been  sent  by 
Glus-kab6  to  help  Copcomus,  jogged  his  elbow 
and  the  hatchet  cut  off  her  leg. 

Next  day  Copcomus  said  to  his  men:  "We 
must  go  and  implore  Glus-kab^  to  conquer  the 
witch.  No  one  else  can  do  it."  S  >  they 
besought  the  mighty  Master  to  help  them.  He 
laughed  aloud,  and  said:  "What!  all  these 
strong  men  with  warclubs,  spears,  and  bows,  to 
slay  one  poor  old  woman!  Why,  my  uncle 
could  do  the  work  single-handed." 

"She  must  die,"  said  Copcomus;  "we  will 
send  your  uncle,  the  Turtle,  and  let  him  do  the 
work  single-handed." 

So  the  Turtle  set  forth  once  more ;  but  as  he 
is  a  slow  traveller,  it  took  him  two  days  to  reach 
the  witch's  home.  "  What  is  the  matter,  Grand- 
ma? "  he  asked.  "  Alas !  "  she  cried,  "  Al-wus- 
ki-ni-gess  has  killed  me !  " 

Turtle  then  drew  his  hunting-knife  and  fin- 
ished her. 


mm 


SUMMER 


There  lived  near  "Kisus,"  the  Sun,  a  beautiful 
woman  named  "Niffon,"  Summer.  She  dressed 
in  green  leaves,  and  her  wigwam  was  decked 
with  leaves  and  flowers  of  many  diflferent  sorts. 
Her  grandmother,  Sogaltin,  Rain,  lived  far 
away,  but  when  she  visited  her  granddaughter, 
she  always  warned  her  never  to  go  near  "  Let-o- 
gus-nuk,"  the  North,  where  her  worst  enemy, 
"  Bovin,"  Winter,  lived,  saying:  "  If  you  do  go, 
you  will  lose  all  your  beauty,  your  dress  will 
fade,  your  hair  will  turn  gray,  and  your  strength 
will  leave  you." 

But  Niffon  paid  no  heed  to  her  grand- 
mother's warning.  One  fine  morning  as  she  sat 
in  her  wigwam  gazing  northward,  and  saw  no 
signs  of  Bovin,  —  the  sun  was  shining  and 
she  could  see  for  a  long  distance,  —  a  beautiful 
region  lay  stretched  before  her,  broad  rivers, 
and  lakes,  and  high  mountains,  —  something 
within  her  bade  her  go  forth  to  see  that  strange 


i 


^ 


¥ 


i 

i" 

i* 

1 

1^ 

1^: 

i 

;    < 


i$ 


58 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


country;  so  she  started  on  her  long  journey. 
She  knew  that  her  grandmother  could  not  see 
her,  and  though  she  seemed  to  hear  her  say : 
"  Do  not  go  near  your  enemj' ;  he  will  surely 
slay  you,"  she  did  not  heed  it,  but  journeyed  on 
and  on.  The  mountains  and  lakes  seemed  far 
away ;  but  she  did  not  lose  heart.  Ix>oking  back, 
she  could  see  nothing  of  her  own  lovely  home. 
The  bright  sun  overhead  was  the  only  thing  not 
new  and  strange  to  her.  She  felt  a  vague  sadness 
and  distress ;  and  when  once  more  a  voice  mur- 
mured :  "  Do  not  go,  my  daughter,"  she  resolved 
to  turn  back,  but  it  was  too  late.  Some  un- 
seen power  now  forced  her  towards  the  north. 
Still  the  mountains  and  lakes  were  as  far  away 
as  ever ;  her  dress  was  beginning  to  fade ;  her 
long  hair  had  turned  gray;  her  strength  was 
failing  fast ;  the  sun,  too,  had  lost  his  power ; 
and,  as  she  neared  her  journey's  end,  she  saw 
that  the  mountains  were  but  heaps  of  snow,  the 
beautiful  lakes  but  fields  of  ice. 

Meantime  her  gp'andmother,  seeing  no  smoke 
rise  from  Niffon's  wigwam,  grew  alarmed  and 
concluded  to  visit  her.  When  she  got  there, 
she  found  the  wigwam  empty,  the  green  boughs 
on  the  floor  withered  and  dry,  and  the  leaves 


SUMMER 


59 


faded.  "  Oh,  my  poor  grandchild  is  in  the 
clutches  of  Bovin,"  she  cried,  and  summoned 
her  bravest  warriors,  "Suwessen,"  the  South 
Wind,  "  Hy-chi,"  the  East  Wind,  and  "  Snote- 
seg-du,"  the  West  Wind,  and  bade  them  hasten 
northward  and  fight  like  devils  to  save  Niffon. 

These  invisible  warriors  started  on  their 
journey,  and  as  they  did  so,  Bovin  felt  that 
something  was  wrong,  and  ordered  his  braves, 
'•  Letu-gessen,"  North  Wind,  and  "  K-lke- 
gessen,"  Northeast  Wind,  to  hurry  southwards 
and  meet  the  foe. 

Sweat  began  to  pour  from  Bovin's  every  limb, 
his  nose  grew  thin,  and  his  feet  shrivelled 
away.  Another  day  and  the  giants  met ;  large 
flakes  of  snow  mixed  with  raindrops  flew  in 
every  direction ;  sharp  gusts  of  contrary  winds 
were  heard.  The  drops  of  sweat  on  Bovin's 
brow  grew  larger  and  larger.  By  this  time,  the 
hair  on  Niffon's  head  was  snow  white  and  her 
dress  tattered  and  faded. 

The  roar  of  the  wind  grew  ever  louder  and 
sharper ;  the  snow  and  rain  fell  faster  and  thicker ; 
at  last  Bovin  fell  from  his  place  and  broke  one 
of  his  legs,  and  Niffon  knew  her  enemy  was 
conquered. 


V! 


n\ 


60 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


'ri 


i 


( 


Bovin  bade  one  of  his  warriors  tell  NifTon  to 
depart ;  he  ;vill  harm  her  no  more. 

Then  she  turned  again  towards  her  own  coun- 
try, her  beauty  all  gone,  an  old  old  woman. 

Many  hours  pass;  by  degrees,  as  she 
travels  her  strength  returns,  she  moves  faster, 
and,  as  the  air  grows  warmer  and  softer,  she 
feels  happier  and  begins  to  look  young  again ; 
her  hair  returns  to  its  natural  color,  her  dress 
is  green  once  more.  She  sees  the  lakes  and 
rivers  shining;  but  it  will  still  be  many  days 
before  she  reaches  her  wigwam,  and  she  must 
meet  her  grandmother  before  she  sees  her  dear 
home. 

At  last  the  air  was  warm,  the  clouds  g^rew  dark, 
the  rain  began  to  fall,  and  the  wind  blew  fiercely ; 
amidst  the  darkest  clouds  she  saw  a  large  wig- 
wam ;  she  entered  and  found  her  grandmother 
reclining  on  a  bed  of  skins,  so  changed  that  she 
hardly  knew  her. 

The  old  woman  looked  up  and  said :  "  My 
child,  you  have  nearly  caused  my  death.  I 
have  lost  all  my  power  through  your  disobedi- 
ence. I  can  never  help  you  in  your  future  wars. 
My  great  fight  with  Bovin  has  taken  all  my 
strength ;  go  and  never  depend  upon  me  more." 


THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  BOATS' 


When  the  water  was  first  made,  all  the  birds 
and  the  fowl  came  together  to  decide  who 
should  make  their  canoes  for  them,  so  that  they 
might  venture  out  upon  the  water. 

The  Owl  proposed  that  the  Loon  should  do 
the  work;  but  the  Black  Duck  said:  "Loon 
cannot  make  canoes;  his  legs  are  set  too  far 
behind.    Let  the  Owl  make  them." 

Then  the  Loon  said :  "  The  Owl  cannot  make 
canoes ;  his  eyes  are  too  big.  He  can't  work  in 
the  day-time  for  the  sun  would  put  out  his  eyes." 

Then  the  Duck  laughed  and  made  fun  of  the 
Owl.  This  made  the  Owl  angry,  and  he  said 
to  Black  Duck:  "You  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  your  laugh;  it  sounds  like  the  laugh  of 
*  Kettagus,*  ^  quack,  quack,  quack." 

Then  all  the  fowls  laughed  aloud  at  the  Duck. 


< 


*  A  different  version  of  this  story  is  given  in  C.  G. 
Leland's  '*  Algonquin  Legends  of  New  England,"  Hough- 
ton &  Mifflin,  Boston,  1884. 

'  Red-headed  duck. 


1 .1 

J, 


m 


\(fi 


62 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


The  Owl  said:  "Let  'Sips'  [the  Wood  Duck] 
build  our  boats." 

"  How  can  he  build  canoes/'  cried  all  the  rest, 
"  with  his  small  neck?  " 

"  He  is  too  weak,"  said  the  Loon. 

The  birds  were  quite  discouraged ;  but  they 
liked  the  looks  of  the  water  very  much.  At 
last  "  Kosq',"  the  Crane,  spoke :  "  My  friends, 
we  cannot  stay  here  much  longer.  I  am  very 
hungry  already.  Let  us  draw  lots,  and  who- 
ever draws  the  lot  with  a  canoe  marked  on  it 
shall  be  the  builder  of  boats." 

All  were  satisfied  with  this  suggestion,  and  the 
Raven  was  appointed  to  prepare  the  lots ;  but 
the  Owl  objected,  saying :  "  He  is  a  thief;  I 
know  he  is." 

"Well,"  said  the  Night  Hawk,  "let  us  get 
Flying  Squirrel  to  make  them." 

"  But  Flying  Squirrel  is  not  here." 

"  Well,  let  some  one  go  for  him." 

"  Well,  let  us  get  Fox  to  go  for  him,"  said  the 
Loon. 

"  Oh !  I  can't  trust  the  Fox  to  go,"  said  the 
Owl ;  "for  he  would  eat  Squirrel  on  the  way. 
Just  let  me  give  you  a  word  of  advice.  Let 
Afiguessis  [Little  Mouse]  go  for  the  Squirrel." 


THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  BOATS 


63 


"Yes,"  said  K'chiplagan,  Eagle,  the  great 
chief,  "we  must  do  as  he  proposes.  Come, 
Afiguessis,  you  must  go  for  the  Flying  Squir- 
rel." 

When  they  saw  the  Squirrel  coming,  all  cried : 
"  Room !    Make  room  for  him !  " 

Then  the  Squirrel  stood  up  before  the  chief 
and  asked:  "What  can  I  do  for  you,  my 
friends?" 

Eagle  told  him  that  they  wanted  him  to  make 
a  picture  of  a  canoe  on  birch  bark  with  his 
teeth ;  to  make  many  more  pieces  all  alike ;  then 
to  put  them  in  his  "  miknakq,"  ^  and  let  each 
bird  take  one.  "  Whoever  gets  the  piece  with 
the  canoe  on  it,  shall  make  our  canoes." 

The  Squirrel  went  at  once  and  stripped  the 
bark  from  a  birch-tree,  prepared  the  lots,  and 
put  them  in  his  pouch. 

"Who  takes  the  first?"  asked  the  Owl. 

"Let  *Mid-dessen'  [Black  Duck]  take  the 
first,"  said  the  chief. 

Mid-dessen  stepped  forward,  and  came  back 
with  a  piece  of  bark  in  his  bill.  So  each  one 
went  in  his  turn,  and  the  lot  fell  to  the  Partridge. 

Now  the  Partridge  is  always  low-spirited  and 
^  Leather  pouch. 


I- 


64 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


i 


hardly  ever  speaks  a  word ;  and  this  set  all  the 
other  birds  in  an  uproar,  and  they  all  sang  songs, 
each  after  his  own  fashion,  and  they  decided  to 
have  a  great  feast. 

"  Get  the  horn,"  said  the  chief.  When  it  was 
brought,  he  gave  it  to  Sips,  the  "  mu-ta-quessit," 
or  dance-singer ;  then  the  big  dance  began,  and 
it  lasted  for  many  days. 

When  the  feast  was  over,  the  chief  said: 
"  Now,  Partridge,  you  must  make  the  canoes, 
sound  and  good,  and  all  alike.  Cheat  no  one, 
but  do  your  work  well." 

The  first  one  made  had  a  very  flat  bottom ; 
this  he  gave  to  the  Loon,  who  liked  it  much. 
The  next,  fiat  bottomed  too,  was  for  Black  Duck ; 
then  one  for  Wab^k^loch,  the  Wild  Goose. 
This  was  not  so  flat. 

Another  was  for  Crane.     It  was  very  round 
The  Crane  did  not  like  his  boat,  and  said  to 
Eagle :  "  This  canoe  does  not  suit  me.    I  would 
rather  wade  than  sit  in  a  canoe." 

The  Partridge  made  canoes  for  all  the  birds, 
some  large,  some  small,  to  suit  their  various 
size  and  weight.  At  last  his  work  was  done. 
"  Now,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  I  must  make  my- 
self a  better  canoe  than  any  of  the  rest."     So 


^pp 


THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  BOATS 


65 


he  made  it  long  and  sharp,  with  round  bottom, 
thinking  it  would  swim  very  fast. 

When  it  was  finished,  he  put  it  in  the  water ; 
but,  alas,  it  would  not  float ;  it  upset  in  spite  of 
all  that  he  could  do.  Ke  saw  all  his  neighbors 
sailing  over  the  water,  and  he  fled  to  the  woods 
determined  to  build  himself  a  canoe. 

He  has  been  drumming  away  at  it  ever  since, 
but  it  is  not  finished  yet. 


VI 


rsl  ; 


mm 


THE  MERMAN 


i-  < 


i  ■ 


i  ■  i 


^ 


n 


In  a  large  wigwam,  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
lived  "  Hapodamquen,"  the  merman.  He  had 
two  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  elder  son 
"  Psess'mbemetwigit,"  Flying  Star,  was  very 
brilliant  and  held  a  lof^^  position;  while  the 
younger  "  Hess,"  the  Clam,  was  the  laziest  and 
slowest  of  the  family. 

The  daughters  were  named  "T'sak,"  Lob- 
ster, "  Hanaguess,"  Flounder,  and  "  Wabfe-ha- 
keq',"  White  Seal. 

Every  morning  the  old  man  gave  orders  to 
his  children  as  to  where  they  should  go,  and 
what  they  should  do,  warning  them  against  his 
two  mighty  enemies,  "  Lampeguen,"  another 
species  of  Merman,  and  Water  Witch. 

One  day  as  they  were  about  to  go  hunting. 
Flying  Star  told  his  brother  of  a  fearful  dream 
that  he  had  had  the  night  before.  He  dreamed 
that  he  and  his  brother  were  in  a  large  stone 
canoe,  moving  swiftly  towards  the  steep  running 


'i  1 


THE  MERMi^N 


67 


water  (falls),,  when  the  canoe  turned  over,  and 
they  both  went  to  the  bottom  of  this  great 
"Cobscuk,"  cataract.  They  were  surrounded  by 
singular  beings,  whose  chief  took  a  "  wus-ip-guk" 
(rawhide),  and  tied  their  arms  and  legs  to- 
gether, then  carried  them  to  a  strange  village, 
where  his  warriors  held  council  as  to  what 
should  be  done  with  the  sons  of  Hapodam- 
quen.  It  was  decided  to  kill  them  at  once,  as 
the  best  means  to  destroy  the  foe,  for  with- 
out Flying  Star,  Hapodamquen  must  surely 
starve.  They  decided  that  the  older  son  should 
be  slain  by  "  M'dasmus  "  (a  mythical  dog,  very 
large  and  fierce),  and  the  younger  by  a  war  club. 
Just  as  they  loosed  M'dasmus,  Flying  Star 
awoke. 

Upon  hearing  this  dream,  Hess  at  once  re- 
peated it  to  his  father. 

Old  Hapodamquen  knew  at  once  that 
"  Aglofemma,"  the  chief  of  the  "  Lampegwin- 
osis,"  was  about  to  attack  him.  He  told  his 
children  to  watch  well,  and  stand  their  ground 
as  long  as  a  breath  of  life  remained.  To  each 
he  gave  careful  directions :  Flying  Star  was  to 
take  up  his  position  in  the  clouds,  and  thence 
watch  the  sea ;  if  he  saw  any  strange  commo- 


\ 


mir 


^mmnm 


^^MRI 


mmm 


^ 


IN  INDUN  TENTS 


;>4. 


'  * 


i5 


il 


i 


1^ 


tion,  or  heard  any  strange  uoise,  he  was  to  fly 
from  the  clouds  to  the  sea,  and  kill  everything 
that  rose  to  the  surface. 

Hess,  the  Clam,  was  to  post  himself  in  the 
mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  was  told  that 
Hapodamquen  would  leave  his  pipe  in  the 
north  side  of  the  wigwam.  If  the  contents  of 
the  pipe  were  undisturbed,  his  children  might 
know  that  he  still  lived ;  but  if  the  "  nespe-quom- 
kil,"  willow  tobacco,  were  gone,  and  the  pipe 
was  partly  filled  with  blood,  they  might  know 
that  he  was  dead. 

"  Go,  Hess,"  the  old  man  commanded,  "  bury 
yourself  in  the  mud,  five  lengths  of  your  body, 
and  listen  well.  You  will  surely  hear  when  the 
battle  begins.  Do  not  try  to  escape,  or  you  will 
perish." 

T'sak,  the  Lobster,  was  to  take  up  her  sta- 
tion half-way  between  the  surface  and  the  bot- 
tom, and  was  cautioned  not  to  rise  to  the  surface 
at  any  time. 

Hanaguess,  the  Flounder,  was  ordered  to  come 
to  the  surface,  where  she  was  to  watch  and  follow 
the  little  bubbles ;  for  when  her  father  left  his 
wigwam,  the  bubbles  would  rise  to  the  top  of 
the  water. 


THE  MERMAN 


69 


of 


Wab^hakeq',  the  White  Seal,  was  the  bravest 
and  brightest  of  the  Hapodamquen  family ;  she 
was  to  accompany  her  father  to  the  land  of 
the  Lampegwinosis. 

The  old  man  knew  that  only  the  chief  and  a 
handful  of  men  would  be  in  tlie  village;  the 
fiercest  warriors  would  be  lying  in  ambush  for 
his  two  sons  at  the  falls,  where  Flying  Star  and 
Clam  always  went  to  spear  eel.  If  Hess  had 
failed  to  tell  his  father  of  Flying  Star's  fateful 
dream,  even  now  they  would  both  be  suflfering 
torture  at  the  hands  of  the  foe.  As  it  was,  the 
old  man  and  his  brave  daughter  would  attack 
the  village  by  night,  while  the  enemy  slept  and 
dreamed  of  battle  and  war. 

Hapodamquen  always  wore  his  hair  very 
long,  streaming  behind  him  three  times  the 
length  of  his  body.  As  they  neared  the  village, 
he  felt  something  heavy  clinging  to  his  hair,  — 
it  was  tiny  beings,  as  small  as  the  smallest  in- 
sect, the  poohegans,  or  guardian  spirits,  of  the 
chief  of  the  Lampegwinosis,  little  witches  who 
tried  by  their  combined  weight  to  lessen  the  old 
man's  speed,  so  that  they  might  gain  time  to 
warn  their  master  of  the  enemy's  approach. 

The  Lampegwinosis  were  taken  entirely  by  sur- 


:|,l 


'it 


1  '' 


«,*• 


i 


70 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


'^ 


i 


i  n 


^f 


M 


prise ;  the  strongest  men  were  away,  only  the 
old  and  weak  were  at  home.  The  great  army 
of  Hapodamquen,  composed  of  all  the  lobsters, 
seals,  flounders,  and  clams,  was  at  hand,  and  the 
battle  began.  It  was  a  fearful  fight,  lasting 
for  two  days  and  nights.  The  Lampegwinosis 
chief  tried  to  escape  to  the  surface;  but  the 
waves  rose  mountain  high,  and  he  was  always 
driven  back  by  the  watchful  Flounder. 

Flying  Star  slew  all  those  warriors  who 
reached  the  surface ;  while  White  Seal  attacked 
the  tiny  witches,  putting  forth  all  her  magic 
power  before  she  succeeded  in  subduing  them. 
Then  she  went  to  her  father's  aid.  He  was  al- 
most exhausted ;  but  she  directed  her  sister,  the 
Lobster,  to  bite  the  hostile  chief  in  his  tender- 
est  part,  and  hang  to  him  until  the  White  Seal 
could  put  an  end  to  hini  T'sak  held  on,  and 
White  Seal  killed  the  foe  with  one  blow  of  her 
battle-axe.     This  ended  the  conflict. 

Hess  remained  in  the  mud,  where,  from  time  to 
time,  he  heard  his  father  encouraging  his  men. 
When  all  was  still  once  more,  he  crawled  out 
and  went  to  his  father's  wigwam.  He  was  so 
glad  to  find  the  pipe  undisturbed,  that  he  sang  a 
song  of  peace. 


THE  MERMAN 


71 


Hapodamquen  ordered  his  warriors  to  return 
to  their  homes  until  he  should  again  summon 
them ;  and  he  went  back  to  his  wigwam,  where 
he  found  his  lazy  son,  Clam,  still  singing. 

All  the  bubbles  and  foam  had  vanished  from 
the  sea.  Flying  Star  and  Flounder,  coming 
home,  found  their  father  happy,  though  badly 
hurt,  for  he  had  lost  all  his  beautiful  hair  in  the 

fight. 

As  the  Lampegwinosis  braves  wended  their 
disconsolate  way  back  from  the  falls,  they  saw 
their  old  Chief-with-feathers-on-his-head  borne 
off  by  an  animal  resembling  an  otter,  whom 
they  recognized  as  Hakeq',  the  brave  daughter 
of  Hapodamquen.  They  moaned  for  their 
chief;  but  Hapodamquen  still  lives  to  destroy 
little  children  who  disobey  their  mother  by  go- 
ing near  the  water. 


i; 


i 


STORY  OF  STURGEON 


fi'       ': 


"  This  story,'"  said  old  Louisa,  "  is  from  'way, 
'way  back,  ever  so  long  ago;  "  and  indeed  it 
seemed  to  me  that  it  was  so  old  that  only  frag- 
ments of  it  remained ;  but  I  give  it  as  best  I  can. 

Many,  many  years  ago  there  were  three 
tribes  of  Indians  living  not  far  apart:  the 
Crows,  Ka-ka-gus,  the  Sturgeons  "  Ha-bah-so," 
and  the  Minks,  "  Mus-bes-so."  These  tribes 
were  all  at  war,  one  wth  the  other,  and  the 
Minks,  being  very  crafty  and  cunning,  as  well  as 
brave,  at  last  conquered  the  other  tribes,  and 
drove  them  forth  in  opposite  directions. 

Now  the  follow..rs  of  Ka-ka-gus  found  their 
way  to  a  dry  and  desert  region  where  they  died 
of  hunger  and  thirst;  the  tribe  of  Ha-bah-so 
found  plenty  of  food,  but  were  overtaken  by  a 
pestilence  which  destroyed  all  but  the  old  chief 
and  his  grandson.  Meantime,  the  Minks  found 
that  the  game  had  been  expelled  with  the  enemy, 
and  they  suffered  greatly  from  hunger. 


' 


▼^ 


STORY  OF  STURGEON 


73 


Old  Sturgeon,  as  I  said,  had  enough  and 
more  than  enough  to  eat.  He  and  his  grand- 
son built  an  "  agonal,"  a  storehouse  of  the  old 
style,  which  they  filled  to  overflowing  with 
smoked  fish  and  dried  meat. 

Mink,  hearing  of  this,  sent  a  messenger  to  in- 
vestigate. He  was  well  received,  and  fed  with 
the  best.  The  Mink  himself  determined  to  pay 
the  old  man  a  visit,  knowing  that  enemy  though 
he  was,  he  would  be  kindly  treated  while  a 
guest,  according  to  Indian  etiquette.  He  asked 
Sturgeon  where  he  got  all  his  supplies,  and  was 
told  that  they  came  from  the  far  north.  Then 
he  said,  "Are  you  alone  here?"  "Yes,"  said 
Ha-bah-so,  "  except  my  grandson ;  "  pointing  to 
a  huge  Sturgeon  who  lay  flopping  by  the  fire. 

Next  day  when  Mus-bes-so  left,  he  was  loaded 
with  as  much  meat  as  he  could  carry.  When 
he  got  home,  he  told  his  story,  and  suggested  to 
his  five  daughters  that  one  of  them  should 
marry  Sturgeon's  grandson,  who  would  keep 
them  in  plenty  for  the  rest  of  their  lives.  So 
the  girls  set  out  to  visit  the  enemy  in  turn,  and 
each  returned  saying,  "I  would  not  think  of 
marrying  that  monster.  If  ever  I  marry,  I  shall 
choose  a  man,  and  not  a  fish,  for  a  husband." 


,1 


74 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


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if: 

i  J'   i 

\. 

li' 

fi 

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f 

m 

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m 

!( 

1(1   V 
[  i  i    V 


So  it  went  until  it  came  to  the  youngest  girl. 
She  entered  Sturgeon's  wigwam  and,  without  a 
word,  made  herself  at  hom-?,  began  to  arrange 
the  bed  and  cook  the  food.  When  night  fell, 
and  she  did  not  return,  her  father  rejoiced,  for 
he  knew  she  had  married  young  Sturgeon. 

She,  meantime,  had  waked  at  night  to  find  a 
handsome  youth  beside  her,  who,  with  the  first 
rays  of  daylight,  again  became  a  fish.  They 
were  very  happy  together  and  knew  no  care. 
Every  morning  she  found  a  supply  of  the 
choicest  game  or  fish  at  the  door,  and  in  due 
time  she  became  the  mother  of  a  lovely  boy. 

Her  husband  proposed  to  visit  her  family  to 
exhibit  this  new  treasure,  to  which  she  gladly 
acceded.  He  told  her  that  there  was  but  one 
difficulty ;  namely,  that  she  would  have  to  carry 
him  as  well  as  the  baby.  She  made  no  objec- 
tion, and  they  set  forth.  When  they  were 
almost  in  sight  of  the  Mink  village,  the  young 
man  was  turned  to  a  big  Sturgeon,  which  his 
wife  shouldered,  taking  the  baby  in  her  arms. 

The  old  Minks  were  delighted  to  see  her ;  but 
the  sisters  laughed  and  sneered  at  Sturgeon,  and 
despised  their  sister  for  being  willing  to  accept 
such  a  husband.    They  were  very  glad,  never- 


STORY  OF  STURGEON 


75 


theless,  to  accept  the  supplies  of  food  which 
he  provided  every  day;  and  their  contempt 
was  turned  to  envy  when  they  awaked  one 
night  and  saw  him  in  his  human  form.  They 
then  began  to  plot  how  they  might  kill  their 
sister  and  take  her  place ;  but  Sturgeon,  learn- 
ing their  plans,  comforted  his  distressed  wife, 
promising  to  punish  her  wicked  sisters,  whom 
he  did  indeed  turn  into  turtles,  in  which  condi- 
tion they  led  a  moist  and  disagreeable  life. 

After  this,  he  felt  that  it  was  time  for  him 
to  go;  so  he  furnished  his  father-in-law  with 
enough  provisions  to  last  a  year,  and  set  forth 
on  his  return  journey  with  his  wife  and  son. 

Before  they  had  gone  far,  they  saw  in  the 
distance  Kosq',  the  Heron,  coming  towards 
them.  Now  Kosq'  had  been  a  suitor  of  Mis- 
tress Mink  before  she  married  Sturgeon,  and  the 
latter  knew  him  to  be  bent  on  vengeance.  He 
told  his  wife  that  she  must  help  him,  for  Kosq' 
had  great  power,  and  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
overcome  him.  Together  they  built  a  circular 
wigwam,  in  which  they  shut  themselves,  Kosq' 
prowling  about  outside,  each  determined  not  to 
stir  from  the  spot  until  the  other  yielded  to 
starvation. 


it  > 


V  \   A 


,i' 


76 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


Mistress  Mink  dug  in  the  earth  at  one  side  of 
the  wigwam,  the  bed  being  on  the  other  side, 
and  the  fire-place  in  the  middle.  She  dug  until 
a  stream  of  water  flowed  forth  which  not  only 
gave  them  drink,  but  which  contained  various 
insects  and  small  creatures  which  satisfied  their 
hunger. 

Kosq'  outside  dug  with  his  long  bill  and  found 
little  or  nothing,  this  inner  stream  attracting  all 
upon  which  he  otherwise  might  have  fed.  So 
he  flew  thither  and  thither,  weaker  and  weaker, 
and  ever  and  again  he  cried  to  Ha-bah-so: 
"Will  you  give  up,  now?"  "No,  no,"  was  the 
reply ;  "  I  am  strong  and  well." 

Finally,  poor  Kosq*,  determined  not  to  yield, 
died  of  sheer  hunger,  and  Ha-bah-so,  with  his 
brave  wife  and  child,  came  from  the  wigwam, 
went  back  to  their  old  grandfather,  and  in  time 
built  up  a  village. 


GRANDFATHER   KIAWAKQ' 


As  I  was  sitting  with  old  Louisa  I  showed 
her  an  African  amulet  which  I  was  wearing, 
made  of  pure  jade,  inscribed  with  cabalistic 
characters  to  ward  off  the  evil  eye.  Thinking 
to  make  it  clear  to  her  Indian  understanding,  I 
told  her  that  it  was  to  keep  off  m'teulin,  sor- 
cerers, and  kiawakq'  (legendary  giants  with 
hearts  of  ice,  and  possessed  of  cannibalistic 
tastes).  She  looked  very  grave,  and  told  me 
that  I  did  well  to  wear  it,  for  there  were  a 
great  many  kiawakq'  in  the  region  of  York 
Harbor  where  we  were ;  it  was  a  famous  place 
for  them,  although  they  usually  chose  a  colder 
place,  somewhere  far  away,  where  it  was  winter 
almost  all  the  year.  This  subject  once  started, 
she  went  on  to  tell  me  of  an  adventure  of  her 
father. 

Years  ago  when  he  was  first  married,  and  had 
but  one  child,  a  boy  about  two  years  old,  it  was 
his  habit  to  go  with  his  family,  in  a  canoe,  in 


78 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


\\ 


1'^ 


f  ■  i 


lit  I 


W'' 


the  late  autumn,  and  camp  out  far  up  north  in 
Canada,  in  search  of  furs  and  skins  for  purposes 
of  trade.  He  would  build  a  large  comfortable 
wigwam  in  some  convenient  place,  and  stay  all 
winter.  One  year,  while  hunting,  he  came 
across  a  deep  footprint  in  the  snow,  three  or 
four  times  as  large  as  that  of  any  man.  He 
knew  it  was  the  track  of  a  kiawakq',  and  in  terror 
retraced  his  steps,  and  thenceforth  carefully 
avoided  going  in  that  direction.  In  spite  of 
this  precaution,  however,  the  creature  scented 
him  out ;  for  while  he  was  away  from  the  lodge, 
a  huge  monster  entered,  stooping  low  to  enter, 
and  making  himself  much  smaller  than  his 
natural  size,  as  such  creatures  have  the  power 
to  do.  The  poor  woman,  alone  there  with  her 
child,  knew  him  for  what  he  was,  and  knew  that 
her  only  hope  of  escape  lay  in  hiding  her  fear 
so  she  addressed  him  as  her  father,  and  offered 
him  a  seat,  telling  the  little  boy  to  go  and 
speak  to  his  grandfather.  She  cooked  food  for 
kiawakq',  warmed  him,  and  paid  him  every  at- 
tention. When  her  husband  returned,  she  said 
to  him  that  her  father  had  come  to  visit  them, 
and  he,  too,  welcomed  the  monster,  who  re- 
mained with  them  all  winter,  going  out  to  hunt. 


GRANDFATHER  KIAWAKQ' 


79 


and  bringing  back  moose,  bear,  and  other  big 
game,  which  the  man  dressed  for  him.  He 
seldom  spoke;  but  she  often  saw  him  look 
greedily  at  the  baby,  and  sometimes  he  would 
put  one  of  the  boy's  fingers  in  his  mouth,  as  if 
he  could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  bite  off  the 
dainty  morsel ;  but  he  always  let  the  little  fellow 
go  unharmed  at  last.  It  was  no  use  for  the 
family  to  think  of  escape,  as  he  could  so  easily 
have  overtaken  them;  and,  if  angered,  they 
knew  that  he  would  destroy  them. 

Towards  spring  he  told  them  that  the 
time  had  come  for  them  to  go.  He  said  that 
his  little  finger  told  him  that  another  and 
mightier  kiawakq'  *  was  on  his  way  to  fight  with 
him.  "  You  have  been  good  to  me,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  wish  to  save  you.  If  my  enemy  con- 
quers me,  he  will  destroy  you ;  so  you  must  go 
now,  before  he  sees  you.  If  I  live,  I  will  come 
to  your  village." 

So  the  man  with  his  wife  and  child  got  into 
the  canoe  and  paddled  away.  After  a  while 
they  heard  the  other  kiawakq'  coming  afar  off, 
for  he  tore  up  great  trees  as  he  came  and  flung 

1  A  kiawakq's  little  finger  possesses  the  power  of 
speech,  and  always  warns  him  of  approaching  danger. 


\    A 


I 


■  I         ( 


80 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


n ., 


a 


am 


them  about  like  straws,  and  uttered  terrible 
roars.  Then  they  heard  the  noise  of  the  awful 
fight;  but  fear  lent  speed  to  their  canoe,  and 
the}'-  at  last  lost  all  sound  of  the  dreadful 
kiarvakq'. 

They  never  saw  their  big  friend  again,  and 
therefore  felt  sure  that  he  had  perished;  but 
they  never  dared  to  go  back  to  that  camping 
ground  again. 

"  So  you  see,"  said  Louisa,  "  that  the  kiawakq' 
really  saved  the  life  of  my  family."  * 

'  C.  G.  Leland  gives  similar  stories  in  his  "Algon- 
quin Legends  of  New  England." 


c 


1 1 


'      !.. 


OLD  GOVERNOR  JOHN 


All  summer  I  had  not  succeeded  in  coaxing  a 
single  story  out  of  Louisa ;  but  last  week  she 
said,  "  You  come  Sunday,  I  tell  you  a  story." 
This  seemed  to  be  because  I  told  her  I  was 
goin£_  away.  Sunday,  when  I  took  my  seat  in 
the  tent,  she  said,  looking  very  hard  at  me, 
"  This  is  a  true  story ;  it  is  about  her  great,  great 
grandfather,"  ^  pointing  to  her  daughter  Susan, 
"  Old  Governor  John  Neptune.  He  was  a 
witch."  I  had  often  heard  from  other  Indians 
tales  of  old  Governor  Neptune's  magic  powers. 
"  He  was  such  a  witch  that  all  the  other  witches 
(m'teulin)  were  jealous  of  him,  and  they  tried 
to  beat  him.  He  fell  sick,  and  he  could  not  lift 
his  head ;  so  he  said  to  his  oldest  daughter  (he 
had  three  daughters),  *  Give  me  some  of  your 
hair.'  She  did  so,  and  he  bound  his  arrowheads 
and  spear  with  it,  and  strung  his  bow  with  the 

*  See  also  C.   G.  Leland's  "Algonquin  J>egends  o£ 
New  England,"  Houghton  &  MifQin,  for  similar  stories- 


13 


I 


Ml'  ' 


»J^■i 


m 


pi 'I 

4  I 


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IN  INDIAN  TENTS 

long,  strong  black  hair.  Pretty  soon  the  earth 
began  to  heave  and  rock  under  him.  His 
daughter  told  him  of  it,  and  he  took  his  spear 
and  stuck  it  into  the  ground  just  where  it  was 
beginning  to  break.  He  thrust  it  in  so  deep 
that  his  arm  went  into  the  earth  up  to  the  elbow, 
and  when  he  drew  it  out  the  iron  was  bloody. 
'  Now  I  feel  better,'  he  said ;  and  he  sat  up,  took 
his  bow  and  shot  an  arrow  straight  into  the  air. 
Then  he  told  his  old  lady  to  make  ready  and 
come  with  him,  but  not  to  be  afraid.  They  went 
to  Great  Lake;  he  told  her  again  not  to  be 
scared,  took  off  all  his  clothes,  and  slipped  into 
the  lake  in  the  shape  of  a  great  eel.  Presently 
the  water  was  troubled  and  muddy,  and  a  huge 
snake  appeared.  The  two  fought  long  and 
hard ;  but  at  last  the  old  lady  saw  her  husband 
standing  before  her  again,  smeared  with  slime 
from  head  to  foot.  He  ordered  her  to  pour 
fresh  water  on  him,  and  wash  him  clean,  for  now 
he  had  conqttered  all  his  enemies.  From  that 
day  forth  they  had  preat  good  luck  in  every- 
thing. This  was  in  his  youth,  before  he  became 
governor  of  the  Indians  of  Maine. 

"  One  time  in  midwinter  his  wife  had  a  terrible 
longing  for  green  corn,  and  she  told  him.  He 
went  to  the  fireplace,  rolled  up  some  strips  of 


OLD  GOVERNOR  JOHN 


83 


bark,  laid  them  in  the  ashes,  and  began  to  sing 
a  low  song.  After  a  while  he  told  her  to  go  and 
get  her  corn,  and  there  lay  the  ears  all  nicely 
roasted.  He  used  to  make  quarters,  too.  He 
would  cut  little  round  bits  of  paper,  put  them 
*  >  his  mouth,  breathe  on  them,  then  lay  them 
uown  and  cover  them  with  his  hand.  By  and 
by  he  would  lift  his  hand  with  a  silver  quarter 
in  it."  I  remarked  that  he  ought  to  have  been 
a  rich  man ;  but  Louisa  said,  "  Oh,  he  did  n't 
make  many,  just  a  few  now  and  then.  When 
he  was  out  hunting  in  the  woods  with  a  party 
and  the  tobacco  gave  out,  they  would  see  him 
fussing  round  after  they  went  to  bed,  and  then 
he   would   hand  out  a   big  cake   of  tobacco." 

Louisa  said  several  times,  as  if  she  thought  me 
incredulous,  "  This  is  a  true  story ;  the  old  lady 
told  me  about  the  corn  herself,  and  she  was  the 
mother  of  my  brother  Joe  Nicola's  wife.  She 
was  a  witch,  too." 

I  asked  Louisa  when  and  how  the  Indians 
learned  to  make  baskets  and  she  said  they 
always  knew.  When  Glus-kab6  went  away, 
he  told  the  ash-tree  and  the  birch  that  they 
must  provide  for  his  children ;  and  so  they 
always  had,  by  furnishing  the  stufif  for  baskets 
and  canoes. 


I 


II 


•  i    1 


•It 

if 't 


K'CHI  GESS'N,  THE  NORTHWEST 
WIND 

When  he  was  a  baby  he  was  stolen  by  "  Puk- 
jinsquess,"  ^  and  taken  to  a  far-oflf  lonely  country 
inhabited  by  invisible  people.  His  first  recol- 
lection was  of  lying  under  the  "  k'chiquelsowe 
musikuk,"  or  frog-bushes.^ 

He  rose,  and,  seeing  a  path,  followed  it  until 
he  reached  a  wigwam.  When  he  lifted  the  door, 
he  saw  no  one,  but  heard  a  voice  say :  "  Come 
in,  'nitap.'"* 

He  went  in,  and  the  voice  said :  "  If  you  will 
be  friends  with  me,  I  will  be  friends  with  you, 
and  help  you  in  the  future." 

He  looked  about  him,  but  saw  nothing  but  a 
little  stone  pipe.     He  picked  it  up,  and  put  it  in 

*  An  evil  witch,  see  Leland's  "  Algonquin  Legends  of 
New  England." 

'  Willow  saplings,  covered  with  fungus  growth,  found 
about  marshy  places  where  frogs  live. 

'  Friend. 


f\ 

1 

¥' 

»I-,,1J 

W    ;,  t 

k'chT  gess'n,  the  northwest  wind      85 

his  bosom,  saying :  "  This  must  be  the  one  who 
spoke  to  me." 

Then  he  went  out  and  followed  the  path 
still  farther.  He  heard  the  cry  of  a  baby,  so 
he  hid  behind  a  tree.  The  sound  came  nearer. 
Soon  he  saw  a  hideous  old  woman  with  a  baby 
on  her  back,  which  she  was  beating.  This 
roused  his  temper,  and  he  shot  her  with  his  bow 
and  arrow.  She  proved  to  be  Pukjinsquess, 
and  the  baby  was  his  brother,  whom  she  had 
stolen  from  his  father,  the  great  East  Wind. 

He  put  the  baby  in  his  bosom,  and  kept  on 
his  way.  The  baby  said  to  him :  "  There  is  a 
camp  ahead  of  us,  but  you  must  not  go  in,  for 
the  people  are  bad." 

To  this  he  paid  no  heed ;  and  when  he  came 
to  a  large,  well-built  wigwam,  he  was  eager  to 
see  who  the  bad  folks  were.  He  found  a  crack, 
and  looking  through  it,  he  saw  a  good  looking 
man,  with  cheeks  as  red  as  blood,  who  said: 
"  Come  in,  friend." 

They  talked  and  smoked  for  some  time ;  then 
the  strange  man,  whose  name  was  Suwessen, 
the  Southwest  Wind,  said :  "  Let  us  wash  our- 
selves and  paint  our  cheeks."  They  did  so,  and 
then  kept  on  talking ;  but  every  few  moments  the 


86 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


1  J. 


I  i: 


*- 
liv 


good-looking  man  would  start  up  and  say: 
*'  Let  us  wach  ourselves."  * 

In  the  evening  two  beautiful  girls  (daughters 
of  Southwest  Wind)  came  in  and  began  to 
make  merry  with  them ;  but  this  tired  the  North- 
west Wind,  and  he  fell  asleep.  As  soon  as  he 
was  sound  asleep,  Suwessen  took  a  long  pole 
and  tossed  him  like  a  ball,^  saying :  "  Go  where 
you  came  from." 

At  this,  the  Wind  woke  and  found  himself  at 
the  same  point  from  which  he  had  started  as  a 
baby.  Angry  and  discouraged,  he  felt  in  his 
bosom  see  if  the  stone  pipe  and  his  brother 
were  safe;  and  finding  them  there,  he  threw 
them  on  a  big  rock,  and  killed  both  in  his  rage. 
Then  he  resumed  his  journey,  but  took  a  differ- 
ent course.  He  now  travelled  towards  the  east, 
where  his  father  lived. 

As  he  crossed  a  hill,  he  saw  a  lake  shining 
in  the  valley  below.  He  turned  towards  it ;  but 
before  he  reached  it,  he  came  to  a  much  trav- 
elled path,  which  led  him  to  a  wigwam,  on  enter- 


*  The  Southwest  Wind  usually  brings    warm  rain, 
which  brightens  the  face  of  Nature. 

*  The  Southwest  Wind  blows  hither  and  thither,  very 
capriciously,  like  the  tossing  of  a  ball. 


K'CHl  GESS'N,  THE  NORTHWEST  WIND        8/ 

ing  which  he  saw  a  very  old  woman.  She  cried : 
"  Oh,  my  grandchild,  you  are  in  a  very  danger- 
ous place.  I  pity  you,  for  few  leave  here  alive. 
You  had  better  be  off.  Across  the  lake  lives 
your  grandfather.  If  you  can  swim,  you  may 
escape ;  but  be  sure,  when  you  near  the  beach, 
to  go  backward  and  fill  your  tracks  with  sand." 

He  did  as  she  directed ;  but  as  he  approached 
the  water,  he  heard  a  loud,  strange  sound,  which 
came  nearer  and  nearer.  It  was  the  great  M'das- 
mus,  the  mystic  dog,  barking  at  him. 

He  plunged  into  the  water,  thus  causing 
M'dasmus  to  lose  the  trail  and  give  up  the  chase. 

Northwest  Wind  went  back  to  his  grand- 
mother ;  but  she  avoided  him,  saying :  "  You  are 
very  wicked ;  only  a  few  days  ago,  I  heard  news 
in  the  air,  that  you  had  killed  your  brother,  also 
your  friend,  the  Little  Stone  Pipe." 

Once  more  he  plunged  into  the  lake,  and  this 
time  reached  the  farther  shore  in  safety.  There 
he  found  his  grandfather,  "  M'Sartu,"  the  East- 
ern Star.  (The  Indians  believe  this  to  be  the 
slowest  and  clumsiest  of  all  the  stars.) 

The  great  M'Sartu  welcomed  him :  "  My 
dear  grandson,  I  see  that  you  still  live ;  but  you 
are  very  wicked.    I  hear  in  the  air  that  you  have 


f^'^i 


88 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


IW'' 


killed  your  brother,  also  your  friend,  the  Little 
Stone  Pipe.  I  also  hear  that  you  have  lost  your 
Bird  '  Wabit '  and  your  Rabbit.  But,  my  child, 
you  are  in  a  most  perilous  place.  The  great 
Beaver  destroys  anything  and  everything  that 
comes  this  way.  If  you  need  help,  cry  aloud  to 
me.     Perhaps  I  can  aid  you." 

As  soon  as  night  came  on,  the  water  began  to 
rise  rapidly,  compelling  Northwest  Wind  to 
climb  into  a  tree.  The  Beaver  soon  found  him 
out,  and  gnawed  the  tree  with  his  sharp  teeth. 
Northwest  Wind  thought  his  end  was  near,  and 
called  aloud :   "  Grandpa,  come !  " 

M'Sartu  answered :  "  I  'm  getting  up." 

"  Come,  Grandpa !  " 

"  I  am  up  now." 

"  Oh,  Grandpa,  do  come !  " 

"  I  am  putting  on  my  coat." 

"  Hurry,  Grandpa !  " 

"  I  put  my  hands  in  the  sleeves." 

By  this  time  the  tree  was  almost  gnawed 
through,  and  the  water  was  rising  higher  and 
higher. 

He  called  again :    "  Come,  Grandpa,  come !  " 

"  I  have  just  got  my  coat  on." 

"  Make  haste,  Grandpa !  " 


3^" 


k'chi  gess'n,  the  northwest  wind      89 


"  I  will  put  on  my  hat." 

•'  Hurry,  Grandpa  \ " 

"  I  have  my  hat  on." 

"  Make  haste,  Beaver  has  almost  reached  me ! " 

"  I  am  going  to  my  door." 

"  Faster,  Grandpa  I  " 

"  Wait  till  I  get  my  cane." 

"  Be  quick.  Grandpa ! " 

"  I  am  raising  my  door." 

At  this,  daylight  began  to  break,  the  water 
went  down  slowly,  and  the  Beaver  departed. 

The  Wind's  Grandfather  had  saved  him. 

He  hastened  to  the  old  man,  who  told  him 
that  close  by  there  was  a  large  settlement,  whose 
chief  was  the  Great  "  Culloo."  ^ 

"  It  is  he  that  stole  your  Rabbit  and  your 
Bird  Wabit." 

Northwest   Wind   now  turned  his  footsteps 

toward  the  west.     He  soon  heard  a  chopping, 

and  came  vhere  there  were  many  men  felling 

trees.     He  asked  how  far  it  was  to  their  village, 

and   they  replied:    "From  sunrise  till  noon," 

meaning  half  a  day's  journey. 

1  A  mythical  bird  whose  wings  are  so  large  as  to 
darken  the  sun  when  he  flies  between  it  and  the  earth. 
Indians  believe  that  they  must  fall  on  their  faces  when 
he  flies  by,  or  be  blind  till  sunset. 


I 


90 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


ijfcii'  * 


Then  he  met  men  with  feathers  on  their  heads, 
and  he  asked  these  where  their  village  was, 
where  they  were  going,  and  wha  they  were 
doing. 

One  of  them  said :  "  We  are  hunting  game 
for  our  great  chief,  Culloo." 

While  he  was  talking  with  one  of  the  men 
the  rest  went  on,  and  Northwest  Wind  said: 
"  You  had  better  turn  back  with  me,  for  I  am 
going  to  visit  your  chief,  Culloo." 

**  How  shall  I  disguise  myself  so  that  he  may 
not  know  me?  " 

"  I  will  do  that  for  you,"  said  the  Wind.  He 
took  him  by  the  hair,  and  pulled  out  all  the 
feathers. 

"  Now  we  can  visit  the  chief." 

When  they  reached  the  village  and  were 
goiiig  into  "  Mali  Moninkwesswol,"  Mistress 
Molly  Woodchuck's  hole,  she  shrieked  aloud. 
By  this  the  chief  knew  that  she  was  visited  by 
strangers,  so  he  sent  servants  to  learn  who  was 
there.  They  returned  and  said,  "Two  very 
handsome  youths." 

At  this,  every  young  woman  in  the  village 
went  at  once  to  see  them,  the  chiefs  daughters 
with  the  rest ;  and  these  latter  fell  in  love  with 
the  strangers  and  married  them.. 


K'CHI   GESS'N,  the  northwest  WIND        9 1 

Northwest  Wind  said  to  his  new  friend: 
"  When  we  go  with  our  wives  to  their  father's 
wigwam,  they  will  put  a  Rabbit  under  your 
pillow,  and  under  mine,  a  Bird;  then  I  will 
turn  myself  into  a  Raven.  Do  you  seize  the 
Rabbit,  I  will  take  the  Bird.  Throw  your 
arms  about  my  neck,  and  hold  fast  to  me." 

They  did  as  he  planned,  and  he  flew  out 
through  the  smoke-hole,  crying ;  "  K'chi 
Jagawk." 

When  he  reached  his  grandfather,  he  found 
his  wife  there  before  him ;  for  she  had  turned 
herself  to  Lituswagan,  or  Thought,  the  swiftest 
of  all  travellers. 

The  Eastern  Star  told  Northwest  Wind  where 
he  might  And  his  father ;  then  he  took  out  his 
tobacco  to  fill  his  pipe. 

"  Oh,  Grandpa,  give  me  some  of  that." 

"  No,  my  dear,  I  have  had  this  ever  since  I 
was  young,  and  I  have  but  a  small  bit  left." 

"  Well,  Grandpa,  tell  me  where  I  may  go 
to  find  it." 

"  You  cannot  get  it,"  said  M'Sartu.  "  Away 
off  on  that  high  point  where  no  trees  grow,  there 
is  a  smooth  rock.  On  that  rock  you  will  see 
my  footprints.     Thence  you   will  see  a  man 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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Sdaices 

Corporation 


33  MBT  MAM  STIHT 

Wmm,  N.Y.  14SM 
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92 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


'^^ 


looking  about  him  all  the  time.  He  guards 
the  spot  so  faithfully  that  none  may  pluck  a 
leaf." 

Northwest  Wind  at  once  set  out  in  search 
of  the  tobacco.  He  found  his  grandfather's 
tracks  on  the  rock,  and,  gazing  eastward,  he  saw 
a  man  looking  in  every  direction.  This  was  a 
powerful  Witch,  who  had  never  been  conquered. 

Every  time  the  Witch  turned  his  back,  the 
Wind  crept  a  little  nearer,  until  he  was  within  a 
few  feet  of  his  enemy.  When  the  Witch  turned 
and  found  the  Wind  close  behind  him,  he  asked, 
in  a  voice  so  terrible  that  it  cracked  the  rocks, 
what  he  wanted  there. 

"  I  want  a  piece  of  tobacco,"  said  the  Wind. 

The  Witch  gave  him  a  pinch  of  dust. 

"  I  don't  want  that,"  said  the  Wind.  "  Give 
me  better." 

At  this  the  Witch  seized  him,  and  tried  to 
throw  him  over  the  cliff  where  there  were  piles 
of  bones  of  his  victims.  As  he  threw  him  off, 
the  Wind  again  became  a  Raven,  sailed  about 
in  the  air,  until  he  got  the  tobacco  leaves,  then 
hastened  back  to  his  grandfather. 

The  Eastern  Star  was  so  pleased  that  he 
called  hi:^  old  friend  the  Great  Grasshopper  to 


K'CHi  GESS'N,  THE  NORTHWEST  WIND 


93 


come  and  share  with  him.  "  N'jals,"  the  Grass- 
hopper, had  no  pipe  but  he  chewed  tobacco.* 

The  Northwest  Wind  then  set  out  to  visit 
his  father,  the  great  East  Wind,  but  found  that 
he  had  been  dead  so  long  that  the  ground  had 
sunk  four  feet,  and  the  wigwam  was  all  decayed. 
He  called  va  a  loud  voice,  summoning  the 
Hearts  of  All  the  Trees  to  help  him  build  a  wig- 
wam fit  for  a  mighty  chief. 

Instantly,  thousands  of  tiny  beings  appeared, 
and  in  a  short  time  a  wigwam  was  built,  made 
from  the  stripped  trees,  all  shining.  A  tall  pole 
was  fastened  to  the  top,  with  a  large  nest 
for  his  Bird  and  a  basket  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pole.  Every  time  the  Bird  sang,  the  beautiful 
"Wabap"*  dropped  from  his  beak  into  the 
basket. 

The  great  East  Wind  came  to  life  again,  and 
the  Northwest  Wind's  son  was  nearly  a  year 
old.  It  was  hard  to  get  firewood  to  keep  the 
old  man  and  the  child  warm,  for  the  snow  was 
very  deep  and  fell  nearly  every  day;   so  the 

^  When  Passamaquoddy  Indians  catch  a  grasshopper, 
they  hold  him  in  the  palm  of  the  hand  and  5ay,  **  Give 
me  a  chew  of  tobacco.**  The  liquid  that  the  insect  spits 
looks  like  tobacco  juice. 

'  Wampum. 


94 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


Northwest  Wind  said  to  his  father:  "I  am 
going  to  stop  this ;  I  cannot  stand  it  any  longer. 
I  will  fight  the  great  North  Wind." 

He  bade  his  wife  prepare  a  year's  supply  of 
snowshoes  and  moccasins;  when  they  were 
ready,  he  moved  with  his  warriors,  the  Hearts 
of  All  the  Trees,  against  the  North  Wind,  whose 
army  was  made  up  of  the  Tops  of  the  Trees. 

Snow  fell  throughout  the  battle,  for  K'taiuk 
(Cold),  was  the  ally  of  the  North  Wind,  and  the 
carnage  was  fearful. 

At  last  the  East  Wind  told  his  daughter-in- 
law  to  make  moccasins  and  snowshoes  for  the 
child,  and  he  gave  the  little  one  a  partridge 
feather,  a  part  of  the  tail.  In  an  instant,  the 
child  received  his  mag^c  power  from  his  grand- 
father. The  snow  about  the  camp  melted  away, 
and  the  boy  followed  his  father.  As  he  shov- 
elled the  snow  with  his  feather,  it  melted.  The 
little  boy  is  the  South  Wind. 

When  he  reached  his  father,  the  father  was 
buried  in  snow,  which  melted  at  the  child's  ap- 
proach. Thus  the  North  Wind  was  conquered, 
and  agreed,  if  they  would  spare  his  life,  to  make 
his  visits  less  frequent  and  shorter.  Now  the 
North  Wind  only  comes  in  winter. 


BIG  BELLY 


There  was  once  an  old  hunter  called  "  Mawque- 
jess,"  who  always  carried  a  kettle  to  cook  his 
"  michwagan/'  food.  When  he  killed  an  animal, 
he  would  build  a  wigwam  on  the  spot,  and  stay 
there  until  the  meat  was  all  eaten.  He  always 
made  it  into  soup,  and  called  it,  "  M'Kessabum," 
my  soup.  He  had  eaten  soup  until  his  stomach 
was  distended  to  a  monstrous  size.  From  this 
he  took  his  name  of  Mawquejess,  Big  Belly. 

One  day  he  saw  a  wigwam,  and  went  to  the 
door  to  see  who  lived  in  it.  He  found  a  boy, 
who  made  friends  with  him  and  invited  him  in ; 
but  the  door  was  too  small  for  his  big  stomach, 
and  the  boy  was  forced  to  remove  the  side  of  the 
wigwam  to  accommodate  it. 

They  were  very  happy  together  and  Maw- 
quejess did  nothing  but  care  for  the  camp,  while 
the  boy  did  the  hunting.  At  last  Mawquejess 
told  the  boy  to  go  to  a  certain  place  and  kill  a 
white  bear. 


"TTsm 


■■■■■■■iV 


■7 


■f  * 
[1  S 


«;■■ 


* 


i 


It 


96 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


His  intention  was,  if  he  could  get  a  white 
bear-skin,  to  marry  a  chiefs  daughter.  The 
chief  had  offered  her  to  any  one  who  would  kill 
a  white  bear  and  bring  him  the  skin.^ 

The  boy  tried  to  kill  the  bear  for  Mawque- 
jess,  but  failed;  and  Mawquejess  began  to  be 
discouraged ;  then  he  thought :  "  I  will  go 
myself." 

H';:  found  he  was  too  big  to  get  into  the 
canoe.  His  legs  dangled  in  the  water  so  that 
he  could  not  paddle,  and  he  had  to  give  it  up. 
When  the  boy  landed  him,  he  made  up  his 
mind  that  the  first  time  he  could  catch  Maw- 
quejess asleep,  his  friend  should  be  cut  open  and 
the  soup  allowed  to  escape.  So  he  sharpened 
his  stone  axe  and  quickly  cut  his  friend  open ;  a 
large  stream  of  soup  flowed  out.  Mawquejess 
awoke,  crying:  " M'Kessabumisa ! "  (Alas,  my 
soup !  )  He  went  on  crying  and  mourning  until 
the  boy  said :  "  You  had  better  stop  crying  and 
try  to  kill  the  white  bear." 

Next  day  they  started ;  he  got  into  the  canoe 
quite  easily,  and  they  killed  the  white  bear  the 
first  time  of  trying. 

"  Now,"  said  Mawquejess,  "  we  will  go  to  the 

>  The  skin  of  a  white  bear  is  very  powerful  in  magic. 


BIG  BELLY. 


97 


village,  to  the  playground  of  the  boys.  When 
they  come  to  play,  I  will  try  to  kill  the  chiefs 
son  [Sagmasis]." 

When  they  got  there,  the  boys  came  to  play 
as  usual.  Mawquejess,  who  was  hiding  behind 
a  bush,  struck  the  young  chief  and  killed  him  at 
the  first  blow. 

The  rest  fled.  Then  he  skinned  the  young 
chief,  and  put  on  the  skin  himself,  thus  appearing 
like  a  war  chief.  He  called  his  litde  friend  to 
follow  with  the  bear-skin.  Together  they  went 
to  the  great  chief's  wigwam,  where  the  bear- 
skin was  accepted,  and,  according  to  ancient 
custom,  a  big  dance  was  given  to  celebrate  the 
marriage.    It  lasted  for  many  nights. 

"  Pukjinsquess,"  the  chief's  wife,  mistrusted 
her  new  son-in-law  from  the  first,  and  called  the 
attention  of  others  to  him.  About  this  time  the 
skin  which  he  had  put  on  began  to  decay ;  and 
soon  he  stood  revealed,  no  young  chief,  but 
Mawquejess  himself. 

They  began  to  kick  and  beat  him.  Maw- 
quejess called  aloud  to  his  little  friend  to  help 
him ;  but  his  little  friend  could  not  help  him,  for 
he  was  running  for  his  life,  crying:  "Let  me 
always  belong  to  the  woods." 

7 


n 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 

Thus  he  was  changed  to  a  Partridge,  and  flew 
away;  and  his  pursuers  were  forced  to  give  up 
the  chase. 

Poor  Mawquejess  too  cried  out:  "Let  me 
be  a  crow ; "  and  he  was.  He  also  flew  away, 
saying :  "  Ca,  ca,  ca  1 "  (I  fly  away) ;  and  so  both 
escaped. 


if 


11 


V 

i 


CHIBALOCH,  THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE 

AIR 


This  being  has  no  body,  but  head,  legs,  heart, 
and  wings.  He  has  power  in  his  shriek,  "  was- 
quilamitt,"  to  slay  any  who  hear  him.  His  claws 
are  so  huge  and  so  strong  that  he  can  carry  off 
a  whole  village  at  once.  He  is  sometimes  seen 
in  the  crotch  of  a  tree,  and  often  flies  away  with 
an  Indian  in  his  clutch.  Some  have  become 
blind  until  sunset  after  seeing  him. 

In  his  fights  with  witches  and  kiawakq',  he 
always  comes  off  victorious. 

He  never  eats  or  drinks,  but  lives  in  a  wigwam 
in  mid-air.  Once  Wuchowsen,  the  great  Wind 
Bird,  went  to  visit  him,  saying :  "  I  have  always 
heard  of  you,  but  never  had  time  to  visit  you ; 
I  have  always  been  too  busy." 

"Well,"  said  Chibaloch,  "I  am  glad  to  see 
you,  and  like  you  very  well.  You  are  the  first 
and  only  visitor  I  have  ever  had.  I  have  but 
one  fault  to  find  with  you.    You  move  your 


J1, 


}\  ( 1 


■  ! 


100 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


wings  a  little  too  fast  for  me.  Sometimes  my 
wigwam  is  almost  blown  to  pieces.  I  have  to 
fly  off  for  fear  it  will  fall,  and  I  shall  be  killed." 

"Well,"  said  WQchowsen,  "  the  only  thing  for 
you  to  do,  is  to  move  away.  You  are  rather  too 
near  me.  You  are  the  nearest  neighbor  that  I 
have.  If  I  should  stop  flapping  my  wings,  my 
people  would  all  die." 

"  I  cannot  move,"  said  Chibaloch ;  "  that  is 
the  one  thing  that  I  cannot  do.  If  you  move 
your  wings  faster  than  I  like,  I  will  destroy  you 
and  all  your  people." 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  said  Wuchowsen,  "  Glus-kab6  will 
defend  me  and  mine." 

"  There  you  are  mistaken ;  for  Glus-kab6  dare 
not  fight  me,  and  he  does  not  like  your  wings 
any  too  well  himself.  He  often  says  that  he 
cannot  go  out  in  his  canoe  to  kill  wild  fowl, 
because  your  wings  go  so  fast.  Did  not  Glus- 
kab6  visit  you  once  and  throw  you  down?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did ;  but  he  soon  came  back  and  set 
me  up  again,"  said  the  Wind  Spirit. 


\i 


1 


afJli.M.i 


STORY  OF  TEAM,  THE  MOOSE 


There  was  once  a  young  Indian,  a  very  suc- 
cessful hunter.  He  always  went  off  alone  in 
the  Fall,  and  came  back  in  Spring  loaded  with 
fish  and  game.  But  once  when  he  was  off 
hunting,  he  began  to  feel  lonely;  and  he  said, 
"  I  wish  I  had  a  partner."  When  he  went  back 
to  his  wigwam  that  night,  the  fire  was  burning, 
supper  cooked,  and  everything  ready  for  him, 
though  he  saw  no  one.  When  he  had  eaten,  he 
fell  asleep,  being  very  tired,  and  on  waking  next 
morning  found  all  in  order  and  breakfast  pre- 
pared. This  went  on  for  some  days.  The 
seventh  night,  on  his  return,  he  saw  a  woman 
in  the  wigwam.  She  did  not  speak,  but  made 
all  comfortable,  and  when  the  work  was  done 
made  her  bed  at  one  side  opposite  his.  This 
lasted  all  Winter;  she  seldom  or  never  spoke; 
but  when  Spring  came,  and  it  was  time  for  him 


J 


i   ;i 


ft 


I 


I 


103 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


to  return  to  his  village,  she  said,  "  Remember 
me,  always  think  of  me,  and  do  not  marry 
another  woman."  When  he  got  home  loaded 
with  skins  and  meat,  his  father  had  chosen  a 
wife  for  him ;  but  he  would  have  nothing  to  say 
to  her.  Next  Fall  he  went  back  into  the  woods, 
and  as  he  approached  his  wigwam,  he  saw  smoke 
coming  out  of  it,  and  when  he  entered,  there 
sat  the  silent  woman  with  a  little  boy  &t  her 
side.  She  told  him  to  shake  hands  with  his 
father.  Unlike  most  children,  he  was  born 
large  and  strong  enough  to  hunt  with  his  father, 
and  be  of  much  help  to  him,  so  that  they  got  a 
double  quantity  of  game,  and  in  the  Spring  the 
man  went  back  to  the  village  so  rich  that  the  Chief 
wanted  him  for  a  son-in-law ;  but  still  he  remem- 
bered his  partner's  words,  "  Do  not  forget  me. 
Always  think  of  me,"  and  held  firm.  On  his 
return  to  the  woods  he  found  a  second  son. 
Thus  he  succeeded  in  getting  more  game  than 
ever,  and,  alas,  on  going  home  to  his  village, 
he  forgot  his  woodland  mate,  and,  yielding  to 
the  solicitations  of  the  Chief,  married  his  daugh- 
ter. In  the  Fall  he  took  his  wife,  his  father-in- 
law,  and  his  own  father  to  the  woods  with  him, 
where  this  time  they  found  not  only  the  two 


4 


ESS 


STORY  OF  TEAM,  THE  MOOSE 


103 


boys  but  a  little  girl.  The  new  wife  gazed 
angrily  at  the  mother  and  children  saying, 
"You  should  have  told  me  you  had  another 
wife."  "  I  have  not,"  answered  the  man.  At 
these  words  the  mother  of  the  children  rose  up, 
saying,  "  I  will  leave  my  children  with  you ;  but 
you  must  treat  them  well.  Be  kind  to  them, 
give  them  plenty  to  eat  and  to  wear,  for  you  have 
abundance  of  everything.  Never  abuse  them," 
and  she  vanished. 

The  boys  and  men  went  hunting  every  day, 
and  the  little  girl  war  left  with  her  stepmother, 
who  beat  her  and  made  a  drudge  of  her.  She 
bore  it  patiently  as  long  as  she  could,  but  at 
last  complained  to  her  brothers,  who  promised 
to  help  her.  Next  day  the  stepmother  took  hot 
ashes  from  the  fire  and  burnt  her  in  several 
places,  so  that  she  cried  aloud.  Her  father  came 
in  and  remonstrated,  all  in  vain.  Then  he  con- 
sulted the  old  grandfather,  who  expressed  re- 
gret, but  advised  him  to  wait  patiently,  that 
the  woman  might  become  better  in  time.  So 
the  brothers  and  sister  resolved  to  run  away ;  the 
boys  slipped  out  first,  and  waited  for  the  girl. 
When  she,  too,  escaped,  they  fled ;  but  any  one 
who  looked  from  the  hut  would  only  have  seen 


ii 


i  f 


104 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


three  young  moose  bounding  over  the  snow. 
When  the  father  came  home,  he  asked  for  the 
children;  his  wife  said  they  had  just  stepped 
out ;  but  when  he  went  to  look  for  them,  he  saw 
the  moose  tracks,  and  knew  what  had  happened. 
He  at  once  took  his  snowshoes  and  tomahawk, 
and  started  in  pursuit  of  them.  He  travelled 
three  days  and  three  nights,  always  following 
the  tracks.  Every  night,  he  saw  where  they  had 
nibbled  the  bark  from  the  trees  and  where  they 
had  rested  in  the  snow.  On  the  fourth  day  he 
came  to  a  clearing  where  four  moose  were  feed- 
ing, and  he  knew  the  children  had  found  their 
mother.  He  struck  his  axe  into  a  tree  and 
hung  his  snowshoes  on  it,  then  went  to  her  and 
pleaded  to  be  allowed  to  go  with  them ;  so  she 
turned  him  into  a  moose,  and  they  journeyed 
away  together.  Meantime,  his  old  father  at  home 
missed  his  son  and  his  grandchildren,  and  went 
to  look  for  them.  He  travelled  three  days  and 
th^ee  nights,  as  his  son  had  done,  following  the 
foot-prints  and  the  tracks  until,  towards  the 
fourth  night,  he  saw  the  tomahawk  in  the  tree, 
with  the  snowshoes  hanging  on  it,  recognized 
them  as  his  son's,  saw  that  now  there  were  the 
marks  olfive  moose  in  the  snow  instead  of  three, 


^1 


STORY  OF  TEAM,  THE  MOOSE  I05 

and  knew  that  he  had  come  too  late.  He  took 
down  the  axe  and  snowshoes,  and  went  sadly 
home  to  tell  the  story. 

These  were  the  parents  of  all  the  moose  that 
we  see  now.  In  old  times  the  Indians  used 
to  turn  into  animals  in  this  way. 


1 


! 


}■ 


THE  SNAKE  AND  THE  PORCUPINE 


'* 


There  were  once  two  men  who  lived  a  long 
way  apart :  one  was  poor  and  had  nothing  but 
his  hunting-grounds ;  the  other  was  rich,  but  he 
wanted  the  poor  man's  land.  The  poor  man's 
poohegan,  or  attendant  spirit,  was  a  snake ;  the 
rich  man's  poohegan  was  a  porcupine. 

The  Porcupine  went  to  visit  the  Snake ;  but 
at  first  the  Snake  refused  to  let  him  in,  saying : 
"  I  will  stick  my  arrow  into  you." 

The  Porcupine  said :  "  Then  I  will  stab  you 
with  my  sword." 

The  Snake  said:  "My  arrow  has  only  one 
barb ;  but  it  is  a  good  one."  And  he  lan  out 
his  tongue  to  show  the  barb. 

The  Porcupine  said :  "  My  tail  is  full  of 
swords;  but  I  will  guard  them  very  carefully 
if  you  will  let  me  come  in,  for  my  home  is 
far  away." 

The  Snake  said :  "  I  am  here  with  my  chil- 
dren, and  am  very  poor.    It  is  not  for  the  rich 


I 


1^ 


THE  SNAKE  AND  THE  PORCUPINE       10/ 

to  come  to  the  poor  for  help ;  but  rather  for  the 
poor  man  to  visit  the  rich.  If  one  of  my  chil- 
dren were  to  go  to  your  house,  you  would  kill 
him.    Then  why  do  you  come  here?  " 

However,  the  Porcupine  promised  so  fairly 
that  the  Snake  at  last  let  him  in.  All  went  well 
at  first;  but  in  the  morning  the  Porcupine  be- 
gan to  quarrel,  killed  the  whole  Snake  family, 
and  took  possession  of  their  land.^ 

^  The  Indian  who  told  this  tale  explained  it  as  being 
the  story  of  the  white  man  and  the  red  man.  The 
white  man  is  the  Porcupine  who  came  from  afar  with  an 
army  of  swords.  He  promised  fairly;  he  had  every- 
thing; the  Indian  had  only  his  arrows  and  his  land.  He 
thought  it  was  wisest  to  say :  "  Take  what  you  will." 
But  the  white  man  killed  him,  and  took  all  his  land. 


1 ! 

S 
I 

I 


I-   t 


WHY  THE  RABBITS  NOSE  IS  SPLIT 


1^! 


In  old  times  the  Red  Headed  Woodpecker  once 
went  to  visit  the  Rabbit.  He  saw  the  Rabbit 
was  very  poor,  and  had  nothing  to  eat,  so  he 
thought  he  would  help  him  out.  He  took  a 
green  withe,  tied  it  round  his  waist,  and  said : 
"Now  I  will  catch  some  eels." 

He  went  to  the  side  of  a  rotten  tree,  and 
pick,  pick;  Rabbit  saw  him  pull  out  eel  after 
eel,^  and  string  them  on  a  stick.  When  the 
stick  was  full,  he  brought  them  to  camp  and 
cooked  them.  When  they  were  cooked,  he 
and  Rabbit  ate  supper,  and  felt  happy.  Then 
the  Woodpecker  took  his  leave,  inviting  Rabbit 
to  return  the  visit  soon. 

In  about  three  weeks  Rabbit  thought  it  was 
time  he  should  accept  this  invitation,  so  he 
went  to  see  Woodpecker.  When  he  got  there 
he  said :  "  My  turn  now  to  get  supper ; "  for  he 

1  Wood  worms. 


hi 


muf  aa'S armni.VMtm'^^jm 


WHY  THE  rabbit's  NOSE  IS  SPLIT      IO9 

thought  he  could  catch  eels  just  as  Wood- 
pecker did. 

He  tied  a  withe  about  him,  went  to  a  tree, 
and  pick,  pick,  pick,  harder,  then  so  hard  that 
his  nose  was  flattened  and  his  lip  split;  but  he 
caught  no  eels. 

Old  man  Turtle  was  visiting  Woodpecker  at 
this  same  time.  He  took  pity  on  Rabbit,  tied 
the  withe  round  his  own  body,  and  dived  down 
into   the   lake,  coming  up  with  a  back-load 

of  eels. 

Rabbit  thought :  "  Well,  I  can  do  that.  Tur- 
tle is  a  very  good  old  fellow,  I  guess  I  will  ask 
him  to  come  over  to  see  me."  So  he  said: 
"  Come  to  see  me  where  I  live." 

Old  man  Turtle  went  to  see  Rabbit ;  but  he  is 
such  a  slow  traveller,  that  when  Rabbit  saw  him 
coming,  he  thought,  "I  shall  have  plenty  of 
time  to  get  the  eels  ready,"  so  he  tied  the  withe 
round  him,  and  jumped  into  the  water,  but 
every  time  he  jumped,  he  bounced  right  back. 
He  could  not  dive  at  all. 

Turtle  saw  him,  went  to  the  lake.  Rabbit 
said :  "  I  have  tried  and  tried ;  but  I  can't  get 
eels.    I  guess  there  are  none  here." 

The  Turtle  knew  what  the  trouble  was;  but 


I 


U 


"M 


no 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


he  only  said :  "  Let  me  have  the  withe ;  "  and  in 
no  time  he  brought  up  a  back-load.  They 
went  home  and  cooked  them ;  and  Rabbit  liked 
Turtle  so  well  that  they  were  good  friends 
forever  after.* 

^  This  version  of  "  The  Fox  and  the  Crane  "  shows 
how  the  Indian  changed  the  fables  of  Msop  and  La  Fon- 
taine, told  him  by  French  missionaries,  to  suit  his  own 
native  surroundings. 


m 


■1 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


ri- 


When  great  Gluskap,  lord  of  men  and  beasts, 
had  brought  order  out  of  the  chaos  in  which 
the  world  was  at  the  beginning,  he  called  to- 
gether the  animals  and  assigned  to  each  the 
position  he  should  hold  in  the  future.  To  some 
he  gave  the  water,  to  others  the  land,  and  to 
others  wings  to  fly  through  the  air.  Over  each 
tribe  he  appointed  a  leader  called  K'chi,  the 
Great  One.  These  could  command  help  or 
power  from  others  called  their  poohegans. 

In  some  animals  Gluskap  found  a  fierceness, 
which,  when  combined  with  size  and  strength, 
would  make  them  dangerous  for  Indians  to 
encounter.  To  this  class  belonged  Miko,  the 
Squirrel,  —  at  that  time  as  large  as  a  wolf. 

Therefore  Gluskap  stroked  him  on  the  back 
until  he  became  the  size  that  he  now  is. 

This  humbled  the  proud  Miko,  who  had  been 
so  vain  of  his  appearance,  and  so  boastful  of  his 


^ 


n. 


i  >  t 


112 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


iil^l 


strength,  that  he  would  scratch  down  the  trees 
which  happened  to  be  in  his  way. 

But,  as  a  compensation,  Gluskap  told  him 
that  he  could  now  climb  higher  and  travel 
faster  than  before,  besides  which  he  could  at 
times  have  wings  to  suit  the  situation. 

Miko  was  comforted,  and  concluded  to  travel 
and  become  acquainted  with  the  world  of 
Nature. 

"  K'chi  Megusawess,"  the  Martin,  taught  him 
the  language  of  other  animals,  to  enable  him  to 
keep  out  of  danger,  and  Muinsq',  Mistress 
Bear,  Gluskap's  adopted  grandmother,  gave 
him  the  Law,  with  much  good  advice;  for  all 
Bears  are  wise,  and  she  was  wisest  of  them  all. 
She  said :  — 

"  You  must  never  speak  in  praise  of  yourself, 
but  pay  attention  to  all  that  is  said  to  you. 

"  Always  control  your  temper ;  and,  when  en- 
raged, say,  cAtm,  cAim,  chim}  over  and  over,  as 
fast  as  you  can,  until  your  anger  is  over. 

"  The  Law  is :  *  Mind  your  own  business.' 

"  Do  this  and  you  will  be  wise  and  wealthy." 


:/f 


1  Old  Mali  Dana,  the  Passamaquoddy  squaw,  when 
asked  to  explain  these  words,  replied:  **That  what 
Squirrel  say  when  he  get  frightened  or  cross." 


II 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


"3 


II 


Miko  then  started  out  on  his  travels,  but  had 
not  gone  far  when  he  remembered  a  bird  named 
"  Laffy  Latwin,"  ^  whose  home  in  a  tall  birch- 
tree  was  his  especial  envy. 

He  said  to  himself:  "  Now  is  my  chance  to 
try  the  wings  of '  Set-cato,'  the  Flying  Squirrel," 
and  at  once  he  half  climbed,  half  flew,  up  the 
tree,  where  he  found  Laffy  Latwin  still  at 
home. 

Laffy  Latwin  was  always  good-natured ;  and 
all  the  little  birds  as  well  as  insects  visited  his 
abode.  The  little  worms  too  would  crawl  up  the 
birch-tree  to  see  their  friend.  He  sang  the 
vesper  song  every  night,  as  a  signal  to  them  all 
to  go  to  sleep.    When  he  sings: 

"  WofFy  '  Latwin,  LafiEy  Latwin,  wicklutuwit,'* 

he  shuts  his  eyes  for  the  night;  and  all  the  little 
birds  are  silent  until  his  voice  is  again  heard 
in  the  morning,  when  all  awake,  for  they  know 
that  another  day  has  dawned. 

When  Miko,  who  now  styled  himself  Set-cato, 
reached  the  home  of  Laffy  Latwin,  he  said :  — 

^  This  bird  seems  to  be  the  robin. 

*  This  appears  to  have  no  meaning,  but  to  be  only  an 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Indian  story-teller  to  imitate 
the  notes  of  the  bird. 

8 


1 

n 

I 

I 
1 


T 


I. 


114 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


"  How  long  have  you  lived  in  this  tree?  " 

"  Ever  since  your  great  grandfather,  '  K'chI 
Musos/  was  born  in  that  hollow  cedar-tree 
which  you  just  left,"  replied  LafTy  Latwin. 

"  How  long  do  you  mean  to  stay  here?  " 

"  As  long  as  this  tree  lasts.  When  this  one 
is  gone,  I  will  move  to  another,"  replied  LafTy 
Latwin. 

But  Miko,  or  Set-cato,  as  we  must  now  call 
him,  had  never  before  been  so  high  above  the 
ground ;  and  though  the  home  of  Laffy  Latwin 
was  cold  and  damp,  he  was  greatly  pleased  with 
the  situation,  and  wished  to  build  a  house  for 
himself  in  the  very  same  hole,  so  he  said : 

"  My  friend,  you  have  lived  here  long  enough. 
You  had  better  move  out,  and  let  me  move  in." 

LafTy  Latwin  was  troubled,  yet  he  answered 
in  his  usual  good-natured  way :  — 

"M'Quensis  [my  grandchild],  I  cannot  go. 
If  I  were  to  move  away,  all  my  friends  would 
miss  me.  They  could  not  hear  my  song  as  well 
from  any  other  tree.  Besides,  you  are  young, 
and  are  nimbler  than  I;  you  can  build  your 
house  almost  anywhere." 

This  opposition  only  made  Set-cato  more 
desirous  of  carrying  out  his  purpose.    The  old 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


"5 


II 


Spirit  of  dominion  was  aroused  within  him,  and 
though  his  great  strength  was  gone,  his  teeth 
were  unchanged.  He  at  once  began  to  gnaw  off 
the  limb  on  which  Laffy  Latwin's  house  stood. 

On  a  neighboring  tree  lived  a  tribe  of  *'  Am- 
wessok,"  or  Hornets,  all  warriors,  male  and  fe- 
male alike.  They  were  always  in  training ;  and 
their  glittering  armor,  with  its  yellow  stripes, 
shone  in  the  sunlight  like  tiny  sparks,  as  they 
flew  among  the  leaves. 

They  had  been  watching  the  movements  of 
Set-cato  all  the  morning,  and  when  they  saw 
that  he  meant  mischief,  the  whole  tribe,  as  one 
man,  darted  from  their  tree,  alighting  on  his 
back,  and  stinging  him  until  he  fell  to  the 
ground  almost  dead. 

The  news  soon  spread  throughout  the  Squir- 
rel tribe ;  the  flying,  the  gray,  the  striped,  and 
the  red  squirrels  hastened  to  his  rescue.  They 
held  a  council,  and  resolved  that  Lafly  Latwin 
must  be  removed,  even  if  they  had  to  kill  him. 

They  all  marched  to  the  foot  of  the  birch- 
tree,  but  found  that  the  only  way  to  reach  him 
was  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  Meantime  the 
Hornets  had  summoned  their  friends,  the  Black 
Flies,  the  Midges,  and  Mosquitoes. 


J 


'f 


!  :  i 


I 


n 


\  i 


i  < 


\    V\ 


M 


I 


Ii6 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


When  the  chief  of  the  Squirrels  gave  orders 
for  the  battle  to  begin,  his  followers  made  a 
rush  for  the  tree,  but  only  a  few  could  go  up  at 
once ;  and  the  Bees,  Flies,  and  Midges  would 
strike  them  with  sharp  spears,  forcing  the 
Squirrels  to  retreat  before  they  were  half-way 
up. 

Thus  the  battle  went  on  until  sunset.  Up 
to  this  time,  Laffy  Latwin  had  been  absolutely 
silent;  he  knew  his  situation,  and  saw  all  that 
was  going  on ;  but  he  had  faith  that  his  little 
warriors  would  defend  him,  so  he  sang  his  even- 
ing song  as  usual :  — 

"  Wo£Ey  Latwin,  Laffy  Latwin,  wickiatQwit" 

Instantly  both  armies  obeyed  the  call,  and  went 
to  their  respective  wigwams  to  rest  for  the  night. 

Next  day,  the  leaders  decided  to  fight  again. 
The  Squirrel  chief  said  to  his  men :  "  We  must 
be  more  cautious  and  less  fierce.  If  we  can 
only  touch  Laffy  Latwin  before  he  sings  '  Woffy 
Latwin,'  we  shall  win ;  but  if  we  fail  to  reach  him 
before  then,  we  may  as  well  yield." 

Both  armies  fought  more  desperately  than 
ever.  The  Flies  had  to  sharpen  their  spears, 
and  many  were  killed  on  both  sides;  yet  the 
battle  went  on  all  that  day. 


\ 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


117 


The  Squirrels  found  it  impossible  to  reach  the 
home  of  LafTy  Latwin,  and  when  the  evening 
song : — 

«•  Woffy  Latwin,  Laffy  Latwin,  wicklootoowit," 

was  again  heard,  they  agreed  to  retire  and  leave 
him  forever  in  peace. 

Miko  now  had  time  for  reflection ;  and  remem- 
bered that  he  had  already  broken  the  Law,  as 
given  him  by  Muinsq',  the  old  Law  Maker.  This 
was  a  bad  beginning  for  getting  wealthy  and  wise. 

When  his  wounds  were  healed,  he  once  more 
set  out  on  his  travels,  hoping  to  gain  from  the 
experiences  he  had  had  as  Set-cato. 

He  met  many  of  his  tribe,  hard  at  work,  and 
content  with  their  changed  condition;  but  he 
could  not  rest  until  he  reached  the  Witch 
Mountain,  the  home  of  Mawquejess,  the  Great 
Eater,  of  whom  Muinsq'  had  told  him.  On 
reaching  it,  he  noticed  a  number  of  narrow 
paths,  trodden  by  many  feet ;  yet  seeing  no  one, 
and  night  coming  on,  he  crawled  into  a  hollow 
cedar  which  stood  near  a  large  rock,  and  soon 
fell  asleep. 

He  was  awakened  by  a  loud  purring;  and  he 
knew  that  "Alnuset,"  the  Black  Cat,  must  be 


iJ. 


,!li| 


^H 


1    fr^' 


i 


mm 


'   ♦. 


ii8 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


camping  close  by.  At  first  Miko  was  fright- 
ened ;  but  his  fear  soon  turned  to  wonder  what 
could  bring  Alnuset,  so  near  to  the  home  of  his 
greatest  enemy ;  for  though  Chl-gau-gawk,  the 
Great  Crow,  steals  the  game  from  Black  Cat's 
"  ketignul,"  or  wooden  dead-fall  trap,  yet  Maw- 
quejess  is  worse,  for  he  watches  until  the  wig- 
wam is  empty,  then  enters  and  eats  all  he  can 
find,  for  his  appetite  is  never  satisfied. 

Miko's  curiosity  was  aroused ;  and,  the  morn- 
ing being  cloudy,  and  his  lodgings  very  comfort- 
able, he  decided  to  stay  where  he  was  and  watch 
the  course  of  events. 

Soon  he  saw  that  Alnuset  had  a  friend  with 
him,  "  Matig^ess,"  the  Rabbit,  a  hunter  of  the 
same  metal ;  and  he  heard  Black  Cat  say : 

"This  will  be  a  good  day  for  hunting. 
Stormy  days  are  best  for  such  work." 

Matigwess  replied :  "  I  will  set  the  trap.  You 
can  go  up  the  mountain  and  hunt  for  big  game." 

Miko  thought  to  himself:  "  I  can  see  them 
from  here,  no  matter  where  they  go.  It  is 
growing  too  cold  to  venture  out."  He  watched 
their  movements,  and  saw  that  they  must  be 
very  hungry,  and  game  scarce. 

At  last  Alnuset  came  across  a  big  Bear,  at 


■HiWMpaaHi 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


119 


which  he  aimed ;  but  the  Frost  had  got  into  his 
bow,  it  snapped  and  broke  as  he  bent  it. 

The  Bear  was  too  big  for  him  to  attack  with 
his  tomahawk,  so  he  returned  discouraged  to 
the  Big  Rock. 

This  Rock  resembled  a  human  face,  and  the 
moss  which  grew  on  the  top  looked  like  long 
hair,  so  Miko  was  not  surprised  to  hear  Alnuset 
address  it  as :  "  Mils  mi,"  my  grandfather. 

"Mus  mi,  if  you  have  any  pity  for  your 
grandchildren,  sing  one  of  your  magic  songs  to 
call  the  animals  together." 

At  this  the  stony  old  man  began  to  sing,  and 
Birds,  Moose,  Deer,  and  Bear,  as  well  as  friend 
Matigwess,  came  hurrying  to  hear  the  song. 

Now  Matigwess  is  unlike  Alnuset  in  that  he 
carries  two  bows  and  three  sets  of  arrows ;  and 
he  at  once  began  his  deadly  work,  killing  Moose, 
Deer,  and  Bear  on  every  hand,  Alnuset  drag- 
ging them  to  his  camp  as  quickly  as  he  could. 

The  hungry  and  mischievous  Mawquejess  was 
watching  him,  and  when  Alnuset  went  for  a 
fresh  load,  he  would  rush  in  and  eat  until  he 
was  over-full. 

Miko,  from  his  hole  in  the  tree,  saw  this  thief 
at  work ;  but  he  dared  say  nothing,  and  there 


M 


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Mi 


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El     .!■, 


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ft 

I 


1 20 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


were  so  many  dead  animals  piled  together  that 
he  thought  the  two  hunters  would  never  miss 
what  Mawquejess  ate. 

But  Mawquejess  could  not  be  content  to  let 
well  enough  alone.  He  went  up  to  the  Rock 
in  his  turn,  and,  imitating  the  voice  of  Alnuset. 
said :  — 

"  Mus  mi,  if  you  feel  a  spark  of  pity  for  your 
children,  you  will  sing  a  song  and  call  your 
animals  together." 

So  the  old  man  again  broke  into  song,  and  all 
the  animals  that  lay  dead,  slain  by  Matigwess, 
came  to  life  and  stood  around  the  Rock,  now 
listening  to  his  weird  song.  When  the  song 
ceased,  each  went  his  way  once  more. 

When  Alnuset  and  Matigwess  reached  the 
wigwam,  they  found  all  their  game  gone,  and 
saw  nothing  but  tracks  and  prints  of  large  moc- 
casins. By  this  they  knew  that  this  was  one  of 
the  tricks  of  Mawquejess. 

They  were  disgusted  and  depressed ;  but  they 
cooked  and  ate  what  bones  and  bits  were  left 
from  the  previous  day.  Night  coming  on,  they 
did  not  hear  the  songs  of  the  goblins  as  usual, 
nothing  but  the  howl  of  wolves  following  the 
bloody  tracks. 


>.w 


lii 


■na 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


121 


Next  morning  Matigwess,  who  was  the  more 
powerful  in  magic  of  the  two,  said  to  AInuset : 
"  I  had  a  dream  last  night,  and  our  Grandfather 
of  the  Mountain  *  told  me  that  Mawquejess  had 
tricked  him  into  singing,  and  also  said :  '  Maw- 
quejV-iS  will  visit  your  camp  to-day  while  you  are 
away ! ' " 

"  Very  well,"  said  AInuset,  "  then  he  will  not 
go  away.    We  will  fight,  and  kill  him  if  we  can." 

"  No,  do  you  go  down  the  river  and  look  to 
the  trap,"  said  Matigwess.  "  If  there  should  be 
any  danger,  you  will  hear  from  me." 

So  AInuset  set  out  at  once ;  and  Matigwess 
cut  down  a  hollow  tree,  the  very  one  in  which 
Miko  lay,  and  placed  it  on  the  fire  for  a  back- 
log. He  then  put  out  the  fire,  so  that  there 
should  be  no  smoke  from  the  wigwam,  and  it 
might  seem  deserted.  He  also  set  a  snare  for 
Mawquejess,  by  bending  down  two  large  tree 
forks  and  fastening  them  in  place  with  a  twisted 
birch  withe. 

This  done,  he  crawled  into  the  hollow  log  to 
await  the  coming  of  Mawquejess.  Poor  Miko, 
meantime,  had  taken  refuge  under  some  old 
roots. 

1  K'musamis'n. 


1 1 

ft'  'i 

m 


\f  \i 


'It  ■.' 


■H 


122 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


They  had  not  long  to  wait  for  Mawquejess, 
who  was  soon  heard  stealing  cautiously  along, 
examining  everything  suspiciously.  He  spied 
Miko,  and  asked  him  where  the  two  hunters 
were ;  but  Miko  replied :  "  I  saw  them  early 
this  morning  going  towards  the  mountain." 

He  did  not  add,  as  he  might  truthfully  have 
done:  "One  of  them  came  back,  hoping  to 
catch  you." 

Mawquejess  directed  Miko  to  keen  watch,  and 
warn  him  if  he  saw  them  returning.  He  then 
put  his  head  into  the  wigwam,  saw  that  the  fire 
had  gone  out,  and  that  there  was  only  some 
dried  meat  hanging  on  poles ;  but  this  gave  him 
courage  to  enter,  for  his  appetite  was  keen  this 
cold  morning. 

He  found  that  his  body  was  too  big  to  go 
through  the  small  door  of  the  wigwam,  so  he 
took  the  hatchet  which  he  always  carries  and 
began  to  chop  a  larger  entrance.  In  cutting 
away  the  sticks,  he  cut  the  withes  that  fastened 
the  snare,  thus  making  it  useless. 

This  alarmed  Matig^wess,  who  had  hoped  to 
see  him  caught  in  the  snare,  and  then  kill  him 
with  his  bow  and  arrow. 

After  working  for  several  hours,  Mawquejess 


^i"" 


kn 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


123 


M 


got  into  the  wigwam,  seized  the  fattest  piece  of 
venison,  and  making  a  fire,  began  to  cook  it. 

Matigwess  in  the  hollow  log  could  bear  the 
heat  no  longer.  When  his  long  tail  began  to 
scorch,  he  sprang  out.  Mawquejess  caught  him 
him  by  the  tail,  and  strove  to  hold  him  in  the 
fire ;  but  the  tail  broke  off  close  to  the  body,*  and 
Matigwess  escaped. 

He  found  Miko,  and  sent  him  to  tell  Alnuset 
that  Mawquejess  was  in  the  wigwam  devouring 
everything.  He  was  nearly  maddened  by  the 
loss  of  his  dear  tail,  and  he  sang  a  magic  song 
with  great  energy :  — 

"  Bern  yak,  bem  yak,  bem  yak  —  bes'm  etch  kimek  ipp 
Sanetch."  » 

This  song  caused  a  sudden  snow  squall,  and 
the  woods  were  filled  with  the  flakes.  Each 
flake  concealed  a  tiny  Rabbit,  to  whom  their 
chief  cried  out :  — 

"  Yoat  elguen  "  (Come  this  way). 

All  the  snowflakes  came  toward  Matigwess, 
and  by  the  time  Alnuset  reached  the  wigwam, 


ii'  «i 

J 


'  Rabbits  ever  since  have  had  short  tails. 

*  These  words  are  in  an  ancient  tongue  whose  mean- 
ing is  now  known  to  none  of  the  Indians,  the  words  only 
being  retained. 


W 


I-'  11 


y 

I 


I 


H 


124 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


the  little  Rabbits  were  stabbing  and  choking 
Mawquejess,  who  began  to  beg  for  his  life,  when 
he  felt  them  cut  off  his  feet. 

The  Rabbit  chief  said :  "  Yes,  he  is  harmless 
now ;  we  will  spare  his  life,"  and  turning  to  Al- 
nuset,  he  asked  what  should  be  done  with  him. 

Alnuset  advised  them  to  bind  him  with  strong 
withes,  and  tie  him  to  the  corner  of  the  wigwam, 
adding,  loud  enough  for  Mawquejess  to  hear : 

"  He  will  make  good  bait  for  our  traps  when 
we  need  to  use  him ;  "  and  Alnuset  purred,  with 
long  purrs,  and  swinging  his  tail  from  side  to 
side,  looked  out  of  the  corners  of  his  eyes,  ex- 
pecting the  others  to  enjoy  what  he  thought  a 
very  good  joke ;  but  Matigwess,  with  the  loss  of 
his  tail,  was  in  no  humor  for  joking. 

He  sang  his  song  for  the  snowflakes  to  dis- 
appear, and  the  snow  at  once  ceased  to  fall. 

The  game  had  all  been  frightened  away,  and 
nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  the  howl  of  wolves. 

Matigwess  was  very  hungry,  and  the  young 
tender  leaf  shoots,  offered  by  Miko  from  his 
storehouse,  did  not  satisfy  him. 

The  weather  had  grown  very  cold;  all  the 
brooks  were  frozen  over,  and  as  the  Beaver, 
Muskrat,  and  other  water  animals  could  not 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


125 


w 


come  out  to  feed,  their  traps  were  useless, 
therefore  Alnusefs  joke  fell  short  of  the  mark. 

Miko  did  not  care  for  meat  himself;  but  he 
suggested  to  the  friends:  "You  might  kill 
Mawquejess  and  catch  a  Wolf,  with  his  carcass 
for  bait." 

Matigwess  raised  his  tomahawk  to  strike ;  but 
Mawquejess  cried  out :  — 

"  Don't  kill  me !  Take  me  to  the  lake,  and 
cut  six  big  holes  in  the  ice.    I  may  help  you 

yet." 

His  enemies  thought  that  he  might  be  a  good 
fisherman ;  and  as  they  knew  nothing  about  such 
work,  they  decided  to  try  his  plan. 

They  put  him  on  a  toboggan,  hauled  him  to 
the  lake,  and  cut  the  six  holes,  as  he  ordered. 
Then  Mawquejess  began  to  whistle  and  call. 
Foam  and  bubbles  could  be  seen  through  the 
holes  in  the  ice,  and  soon  Kiunik,  the  Otters, 
poked  out  their  heads,  holding  fish  in  their 
mouths. 

Alnuset  and  Matigwess  now  thought  better 
of  their  foe,  and  when  they  had  enough  fish, 
they  loaded  the  toboggan  and  hauled  it  back  to 
the  wigwam,  with  Mawquejess  on  top.  They  all 
spent  a  very  happy  evening  together,  and  became 


t; 


i 


l'^ 


HI 
IS 


■r^ 


126 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


if 


good  friends,  although  Matigwess  could  never 
again  have  a  long  tail.  When  the  weather  grew 
warmer,  Miko  grew  tired  of  hearing  them  tell 
of  their  hair-breadth  adventures,  and  escapes 
from  witches  and  goblins. 

He  left  them,  congratulating  himself  that  this 
time  he  had  broken  no  law,  quite  forgetting  that 
he  had  failed  to  "  mind  his  own  business  "  and 
had  incurred  the  ill-will  of  Mawquejess. 

The  trees  were  putting  forth  buds,  the  young 
roots  of  the  seedlings  were  sweet  and  tender, 
and  Miko,  having  laid  off  his  heaviest  fur  coat, 
looked  often  in  little  pools  of  water  left  by  the 
spring  rains. 

He  never  felt  better  in  his  life ;  and  when  he 
came  upon  a  council  held  by  m't^ulins,  or 
animals  having  magic  powers,  he  entered  the 
circle  unnoticed,  feeling  himself  the  equal  of  any 
of  them. 

The  council  had  met  to  consider  how  they 
might  destroy  "  K'chi  Molsom,"  the  Great  Wolf, 
who  lived  with  the  Great  Bat,  "  K*chi  Medsk'- 
weges,"  on  a  large  island  which  none  dared 
visit  for  fear  of  the  Great  Wolf.  Miko  remem- 
bered the  Wolf  as  an  old  enemy,  and  hoped  to 
see  him  slain.    He  chattered  approval  to  all  that 


.Kvi;*i4SaV!V>S»f!iiaii»*;i.:<;'  JS»^' 


i! 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


127 


was  said.  On  one  occasion,  all  the  witches  met 
in  council  to  see  what  they  could  do  to  conquer 
the  Wolf;  how  they  might  contrive  to  kill  him. 

K'chi  Quenocktsh,  the  Big  Turtle,  made  the 
first  speech.  Said  he :  "  The  only  way  we  can 
kill  K'chi  Molsom  is  to  dig  a  passage  under  the 
water  to  the  island,  then  dig  a  big  hole  right 
under  his  wigwam,  fill  the  hole  with  sharp 
sticks  and  stones ;  then  we  will  dig  out  the  rest 
of  the  ground.  The  wigwam  will  fall,  and  the 
Great  Wolf  will  be  dashed  in  pieces  on  the 
sticks  and  stones." 

The  witches  thought  this  idea  a  good  one, 
but  felt  that  the  Wolf  had  such  power  that  who- 
ever stepped  upon  the  island  would  perish. 

K'chi  Atosis,  the  Great  Snake,  spoke  next : 
"  My  opinion,"  said  he, "  is  that  all  the  witches 
who  can  fiy  should  go  there  some  dark  night, 
fly  down  the  smokehole,  bind  him  with  strong 
withes  before  he  can  fight,  and  bring  him  out 
where  all  may  enjoy  seeing  him  put  to  death." 

Next  spoke  the  Alligator :  "  The  only  way  to 
kill  the  Great  Wolf  is  to  lie  in  wait  for  him  on 
the  other  island.  When  he  is  hungry,  he  will 
go  there  to  catch  seals;  and  we  will  send  our 
best  warriors  and  capture  him  alive." 


i 


ii 


J 


I 


In 


128 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


Now  the  Wolf  knew  that  they  had  evil  designs 
upon  him,  and  sent  the  Bat  to  watch,  and  to 
listen  to  what  they  had  to  say,  and  so  was  pre- 
pared for  them. 

The  chief  of  the  witches,  a  hairless  bear, 
then  said :  "  I  have  listened  to  all  your  plans, 
and  think  all  good ;  but  the  first  one  suits  me 
best.  We  will  get '  K'chi  Pa-pa-ka-qua-ha,'  the 
Great  Woodpecker,  and  Moskwe,  the  Wood 
Worm,  to  do  the  work." 

So  all  the  woodpeckers  and  all  the  worms 
set  to  work  to  dig  the  passage. 

The  Great  Wolf  knew  all  that  was  going  on, 
and  sent  the  Bat  every  night  to  see  what  prog- 
ress they  made. 

He  ordered  his  troops,  the  Ants,  to  prepare 
flint  and  punk,  Chu-ga-ga-siq*,  —  yellow  rotten 
wood  found  in  hollow  trees.^ 

The  Ants  went  to  work  and  filled  the  wigwam 
with  punk,  the  Bat,  meantime,  going  every  few 
moments  to  watch  the  enemy's  progress.  At 
last  he  said  that  they  had  landed  on  the  island. 

The  Wolf  ordered  everything  to  be  removed 
from  the  wigwam,  — his  bows,  arrows,  stone  axes, 

1  The  Indians  formerly  used  this  with  flint  to  light  their 
fires. 


<f- 


STORY  OF  THE  SQUIRREL 


129 


spears,  pipes,  and  the  paddles  of  his  great  stone 
canoe,  —  then  he  took  the  flint  and  set  fire  to 
the  punk  inside  the  wigwam. 

The  Ants  had  also  filled  the  mouth  of  the 
passage  on  the  mainland  with  punk,  so  that  all 
the  witches  who  went  to  see  the  killing  of  K'chi 
Molsom  might  not  escape  but  perish. 

When  all  was  ready,  Woodpecker  gave  the 
signal,  and  the  wigwam  fell  into  the  hole,  to  be 
sure ;  but  the  blaze  soon  filled  the  passage  and 
all  their  hiding-places  with  fire  and  smoke. 

The  witches,  vainly  hoping  to  escape,  ran  to 
the  mouth  of  the  passage  on  the  mainland,  but 
found  it  also  stopped  with  fire ;  and  they  were  all 
burned  to  death.^ 

K'chi  Molsom  took  all  his  men  and  his  goods 
in  his  stone  canoe,  and  went  to  the  next  island, 
where  they  built  a  strong  wigwam  and  thence- 
forth lived,  more  powerful  and  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  before,  fighting  many  battles  with 
the  spirits  of  the  water. 

1  Miko  had  made  good  his  escape  before  the  fire  got  to 
burning  well ;  but  his  beautiful  silky  coat  of  brown  fur  was 
scorched  red  by  the  heat,  and  has  remained  so  ever  since. 


V\ 


lii' 


f  1 


i  ' 


Kf- 


wawbAban,  the  northern  lights 

There  once  lived  an  old  chief,  called  "  M'Surtu," 
or  the  Morning  Star.  He  had  an  only  son,  so 
unlike  all  the  other  boys  of  the  tribe  as  to  dis- 
tress the  old  chief.  He  would  not  stay  with  the 
others  or  play  with  them,  but,  taking  his  bow 
and  arrows,  would  leave  home,  going  towards 
the  north,  and  stay  away  many  days  at  a  time. 

When  he  came  home,  his  relations  would  ask 
him  where  he  had  been ;  but  he  made  no  answer. 

At  last  the  old  chief  said  to  his  wife :  "  The 
boy  must  be  watched.     I  will  follow  him." 

So  Morning  Star  kept  in  the  boy's  trail,  and 
travelled  for  a  long  time.  Suddenly  his  eyes 
closed,  and  he  could  not  hear.  He  had  a  strange 
sensation,  and  then  knew  nothing  until  his  eyes 
opened  in  an  unknown  and  brightly  lighted 
land.  There  were  neither  sun,  moon,  nor  stars ; 
but  the  land  was  illumined  by  a  singular  light. 


WAWBABAN,  THE  NORTHERN  LIGHTS      131 


He  saw  human  beings  very  unlike  his  own 
people.  They  gathered  about  him,  and  tried  to 
talk  with  him ;  but  he  could  not  understand  their 
language.  He  knew  not  where  to  go  nor  what 
to  do.  He  was  well  treated  by  this  marvellous 
tribe  of  Indians;  he  watched  their  games,  and 
was  attracted  by  a  wonderful  game  of  ball  which 
seemed  to  change  the  light  to  all  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow,  —  colors  which  he  had  never  seen 
before.  The  players  all  seemed  to  have  lights 
on  their  heads,  and  they  wore  curious  girdles, 
called  "  Memquon,"  or  Rainbow  belts. 

After  a  few  days,  an  old  man  came  to  him,  and 
spoke  to  him  in  his  own  tongue,  asking  if  he 
knew  where  he  was.     He  answered:  "No." 

The  old  man  then  said:  "You  are  in  the 
land  of  Northern  Lights.  I  came  here  many 
years  ago.  I  was  the  only  one  here  from  the 
'  Lower  Country,'  as  we  call  it ;  but  now  there 
is  a  boy  who  visits  us  every  few  days." 

At  this,  the  chief  inquired  how  the  old  man 
got  there,  what  way  he  came. 

The  old  man  said:  "I  followed  the  path 
called  '  Ketaguswot,'  or  'the  Spirits'  Path' 
(the  Milky  Way)." 

"That  must  be  the  same  path  I  took,"  said 


I 


% 


132 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


the  chief.  "Did  you  have  a  strange  feeling, 
as  if  you  had  lost  ali  knowledge,  while  you 
travelled?" 

*'  Yes,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  I  could  not  see 
nor  hear." 

"  Then  you  did  come  by  the  same  path.  Can 
you  tell  me  how  I  may  return  home  again?" 

The  old  man  said :  "  The  Chief  of  the  North- 
ern Lights  will  send  you  home,  friend." 

"  Well,  can  you  tell  me  where  or  when  I  may 
see  my  son?    The  boy  who  visits  you  is  mine." 

The  old  man  said :  "  You  will  see  him  play- 
ing ball,  if  you  watch." 

Morning  Star  was  very  glad  to  hear  this,  and 
a  few  moments  later,  a  man  went  around  to  the 
wigwams,  telling  all  to  go  and  have  a  game  of 
ball. 

The  old  chief  went  with  the  rest ;  when  the 
game  began,  he  saw  many  most  beautiful  colors 
on  the  playground.  The  old  man  asked  him  if 
he  saw  his  son  among  the  players,  and  he  said 
that  he  did.  "  The  one  with  the  brightest  light 
on  his  head  is  my  son." 

Then  they  went  to  the  Chief  of  the  Northern 
Lights,  and  the  old  man  said :  "  The  Chief  of  the 
Lower  Country  wishes  to  go  home,  and  he  also 
wants  his  son." 


WAWBABAN,  THE  NORTHERN  LIGHTS      1 33 

The  chief  asked  him  to  stay  a  few  days  longer ; 
but  he  longed  to  go  home,  so  the  Chief  of  the 
Northern  Lights  called  together  his  tribe  to 
take  leave  of  M'Surtu  and  his  son,  and  ordered 
two  great  birds  to  carry  them  home.    As  they 
travelled  over  the  Milky  Way,  Morning  Star  had 
the  same  strange  sensation  as  before,  and  when 
he  came  to  his  senses,  he  found  himself  at  his 
own  door.     His  wife  rejoiced  to  see  him;   for 
when  the  boy  had  told  her  that  his  father  was 
safe,  she  had  not  heeded  him,  but  feared  that 
he  was  lost. 


u 


!  J 


THE  WOOD  WORM'S  STORY,  SHOWING 
WHY  THE  RAVEN'S  FEATHERS  ARE 
BLACK 


Long  years  ago,  in  a  hollow  tree  dwelt  Mosique, 
the  Wood  Worm.  Mosique  is  a  clever  builder, 
and  he  builds  wigwams  for  many  of  his  neigh- 
bors. Moreover,  he  is  a  very  proud  old  man, 
so  that  he  was  anything  but  pleased  when 
"Huhuss,"  the  Hen  Hawk,  came  to  visit  him, 
saying:  "Let  me  in,  Musmi  [my  grandfather]. 
I  have  a  little  bird  here  for  you." 

Now  Mosique  hated  the  Hawk,  because  only 
a  short  time  before  he  had  killed  one  of  his  best 
friends,  little  "  Getchki-ki-lassis,"  the  Chicka- 
deedee,  and  now  he  came  back  to  taunt  Mosique 
with  the  fact. 

"  Come,  Musmi,  let  me  in." 

Mosique  is  a  skilful  fighter  when  he  is  angry ; 
but  the  powerful  Hawk  never  believed  that  that 
old  worm  could  hurt  anything.  His  house 
opened  just  wide  enough  for  Huhuss  to  put  in 


iVPW" 


THE  WOOD  worm's  STORY 


135 


his  head ;  but  it  opened  into  a  large  room  where 
he  kept  his  tools  of  every  kind. 

The  Little  Birds  were  glad  to  see  the  Hawk 
go  to  Mosique's  house,  for  they  trusted  in  the 
Worm's  cunning. 

"Come,  Musmi,  let  me  in.  I  want  you  to 
build  me  a  good  warm  house.  I  will  pay  you 
well  for  it." 

"  Yes,"  says  Mosique,  "  I  will  build  a  house 
for  my  grandchildren  in  your  old  skull." 
The  Hawk  laughed  at  him,  and  spat  on  him. 
"You  build  a  house  in  my  skull,  indeed," 
said  he.    "  Well,  let  me  see  what  you  can  do," 
and  he  poked  his  head  a  little  farther  in. 

Mosique  strapped  his  auger  to  the  top  of  his 
pate,  turned  and  twisted,  and  screwed  himself 
around  into  Hawk's  head.  He  soon  penetrated 
his  skull,  and  Huhuss  shrieked  aloud  for  help, 
but  no  help  came.  He  flew  up  in  agony;  he 
flew  so  high  that  he  almost  reached  the  blue 
sky.  All  the  birds,  and  all'the  animals,  looked 
at  him,  but  none  knew  what  would  become  of 

him. 

Mosique  kept  twisting  himself  around,  and 
soon  reached  the  Hawk's  brain.  Of  course, 
the  Hawk  could  not  endure  this,  and  he  fell 


136 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


heavily  to  the  ground,  carrying  Mosique  with 
him. 

Then  all  the  birds  flocked  together,  and  had  a 
feast  which  lasted  many  days,  singing  songs, 
and  dancing,  and  shaking  hands  with  Mosique  in 
token  of  their  gratitude  and  joy.  The  Little  Ants 
also  came  to  attend  this  great  feast;  and  after 
it  was  over,  Mosique  made  a  long  speech, 
bidding  them:  "Tell  all  the  Hawks,  his 
brothers,  his  sisters,  his  sons,  and  his  daughters, 
to  insult  me  no  more.  If  they  do,  they  must 
share  the  same  fate  as  their  chief.  You  see  him 
now  dead.  I  will  give  his  skull  to  our  neigh- 
bors, the  ants,  for  their  wigwam,  and  also  a  part 
of  his  old  carcass  for  food." 

The  ants  ran  hastily  into  Hawk's  skull,  and 
fed  upon  his  brain. 

"  Now,"  added  Mosique,  "  my  dear  Little 
Birds,  you  know  I  have  lived  in  my  wigwam 
for  a  long  time.  I  have  never  troubled  any  one, 
and  no  one  has  troubled  me.  This  is  the  first 
one  who  ever  came  to  disturb  me.  Here  he 
lies.  Tell  your  leader,  the  great  Woodpecker, 
my  worst  enemy ,^  what  I  say.  I  have  never 
talked  so  much  before  in  all  my  life;  but 
1  Woodpeckers  devour  the  wood  worms. 


1 


THE  WOOD  worm's  STORY 


137 


do  you  tell  him  that  if  he  ever  comes  to  try  to 
destroy  my  wigwam,  I  will  serve  him  the  same 
as  that  Hawk.  I  do  not  wish  to  defy  him  my- 
self, but  you  can  tell  him  for  me." 

The  Little  Birds  sewed  leaves  together,  placed 
the  Honorable  Mosique  on  them,  raised  him 
high  in  air,  and  sang  songs  of  rejoicing  over 
him:  — 

"  K'mus'm  S'n  naha  kisi  nahahat  6-usell  ennit 
kilon  wecki  w'litt  hassul  tigiqu',"  or  "  our  Grand- 
father Wood  Worm  has  killed  Huhuss.  This  is 
what  makes  us  so  happy." 

Then  they  flew  up  almost  to  the  sky,  came 
down  again,  left  Mosique  in  his  wigwam  and 
presented  him  with  a  tiny  Wisuwigesisl,  or  Little 
Yellow  Bird,  —  one  of  their  best  singers,  —  to  be 
his  comrade  and  musician. 

Every  morning  she  sings :  "  Etuch  ulinagusk 
tike  uspesswin!"  (Oh,  what  a  lovely,  bright 
morning !     Awake,  all  ye  who  sleep !) 

This  delighted  Mosique. 

Time  passed,  and  the  Raven  fancied  the  looks 
of  Mosique's  Singer,  with  her  bright  yellow 
feathers  shining  like  gold.  He  said:  "There 
is  but  one  way  to  get  the  beautiful  Singer,  and 
that  is  to  kill  Mosique. 


^^ 


^^^w 


i«l 


138 


IN  INDIAN  TENTS 


"  Biit  that  is  well-nigh  impossible.  While  he 
is  in  hsi.  wicj\'  Ptn,  no  living  creature  can  destroy 
him.  There  .  but  one  way  to  kill  him;  but  it 
is  a  sure  way,  I  never  knew  it  to  fail.  I  have 
a  piece  c/i  p  :nlc  w  lich  my  grandfather,  the 
White  Otter,  gave  me,  tiiut  will  do  the  work." 

So  next  morning,  it  being  very  windy, 
he  went  to  the  foot  of  the  big  tree  where 
Mosique  lived,  put  the  punk  close  against  the 
the  tree,  set  it  on  fire,  and  it  soon  blazed  up. 
Now  this  was  sure  death  to  Mosique. 

(Here  part  of  the  story  seems  to  be  missing, 
telling  how  the  Worm  escaped  this  "  sure  death," 
but  I  have  been  unable  to  recover  it,  in  spite  of 
all  my  efforts.  — A.  L.  A.) 

Mosique,  in  his  rage,  gathered  together  all  the 
Little  Birds,  and  told  his  sad  story  to  them. 

"  That  White  Bird,"  said  he,  "  has  not  treated 
me  right ;  but  I  will  have  my  revenge.  I  want 
you  to  take  me  where  he  lives." 

"  We  will  take  you  to  his  wigwam.  Grandpa," 
said  the  Little  Birds.  So  they  sewed  the  leaves 
together  again,^  and  placing  Mosique  on  them, 
flew  off  with  him.     They  soon  reached  the 

*  A  worm,  of  course,  could  not  fly. 


mmwm^^ 


THE  WOOD  WORM'S  STORY 


139 


residence  of  Raven.  Mosique  had  with  him  a 
lot  of  "  tebequenignel,"  or  Indian  birch-bark 
torches.  The  Little  Birds  set  him  down 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  tall  spruce-tree  where 
the  Raven  lived.  Now  the  Raven  is  an  early 
riser,  and  goes  to  bed  equally  early ;  so,  as  soon 
as  it  was  dark,  Mosique  crawled  up  the  tree,  and 
soon  came  to  Raven's  door.  He  slipped  in 
without  being  seen  or  heard,  and  bound  Raven 
while  he  slept.  Then  he  easily  made  his  way 
down  again,  lighted  'his  torches,  and  soon  had 
the  tree  in  flames.  When  the  fire  reached  the 
Raven,  he  awaked  and  cried  out :  "  Oh,  Mosique, 
have  pity  on  me,  and  untie  me !  "  but  Mosique 
heeded  him  not. 

These  bark  torches  always  make  a  dense 
smoke,  which  soon  blackened  the  Raven.  As 
the  flames  drew  nearer,  the  cords  which  bound 
the  Raven  were  burned  away,  or  snapped 
asunder,  and  he  escaped  uninjured.  But  his 
beauty  was  gone  forever.  Up  to  this  time,  he 
was  a  snow-white  bird ;  but  ever  since  he  has 
been  as  black  as  charcoal,  down  to  this  very 
day. 

THE  END. 


mr 


mmaim 


mf^ 


Messrs,  Roberts  Brother^  Publications, 


► 


?•; 


FAR  FROM  TO-DAY. 

^  Folume  of  Stories;. 

By  GERTRUDE    HALL, 
16mo,    Cloth.    Price,  $1,00, 


THESE  stories  are  marked  with  originality  and  power.   The  titles 
are  as  follows  >  viz.,  Tristiane,  The  Sons  of  Philemon,  Servirol, 
Sylvanus,  Theodolind,  Shepherds. 

Min  Hall  hu  put  together  here  a  set  of  nacefully  mitten  talea,  —  tales  of  long 
ago.  They  haye  an  old-world  medueval  feenng  about  them,  soft  with  intervening 
distance,  like  the  light  upon  some  feudal  castle  wall,  seen  through  the  openings  en 
the  forest.  A  refined  fimcy  and  many  an  artistic  toudi  has  been  qient  upon  the 
composition  with  good  result. — Lotuum  BookttlUr. 

"  Although  these  six  stories  are  dreams  of  the  misty  past,  their  morals  have  a 
most  direct  bearing  on  the  present.  An  author  who  has  the  soul  to  conceive  such 
stories  is  worthy  to  rank  among  the  highest.  One  of  our  best  literary  critics,  Mrs. 
Louise  Chandler  Moulton,  says :  "  I  think  it  is  a  work  of  real  genius,  Homeric  ia 
its  simplicity,  and  beautifiu  exceedingly.*" 

Mrs.  Harriet  Prescott  Spo£ford,  in  the  Ntwburfport  Htrald:  — 

*'  A  volume  giving  evidence  of  surprising  genius  is  a  collection  of  six  tales  by 

Gertrude  Hall,  called  '^Far  from  To-day.'    I  reodl  no  stories  at  once  so  powerful  and 

subtle  as  these.    Their  literary  charm  is  complete,  their  range  of  learning  is  vast^  and 

their  human  interest  is  intense.    *  Tristiane,'  the  first  one,  is  as  brilliant  and  ingenious. 

chapter  of  Arthur  Hardy's  '  Passe  Rose ; '  '  Sylvanus ' 


subtle  as  these.  Their  literary  charm  is  complete,  their  range  of  learning  is  vast^  and 
fheir  human  interest  is  intense  '  TM«.i«M« » .h*  is^a*  nn*  »  «•  i%viiiian*  amjI  «M.»«n.M.ia 
to  say  the  least,  as  the  best 

tells  a  heart-breaking  tale,  fiill  of  wild  delight  in  hills  and  winds  and  skies,  full  of 
pathos  and  poetry ;  in  '  The  Sons  of  Philemon '.  the  Greek  spirit  is  perfect,  the 
story  absolutely  beautiful ;  '  Theodolind,'  again,  repeats  the  Norse  life  to  the  echo, 
even  to  the  very  measure  of  the  runes;  and  'The  Shepherds'  gives  another  reading 
to  the  meaning  of  'The  Statue  and  the  Bust.'  Portions  of  these  stories  are  told 
with  an  almost  archaic  simplicity,  while  other  portions  mount  on  great  wings  of 
poetry,  *  Far  from  To-day,'  as  the  time  of  the  stories  is  placed ;  the  hearts  that 
beat  m  them  are  the  hearts  of  to-day,  and  each  one  of  these  stories  breathes  the  joy 
and  the  sorrow  of  life,  and  is  rich  with  the  beauty  of  the  world." 

From  the  London  Acadtmy,  December  34th  :— 

"The  six  stories  in  the  dainty  volume  entitled  '  Far  from  To-day'  are  of  imagina- 
tion all  compact.  The  American  short  tales,  which  have  of  late  attained  a  wide  and 
deserved  p<^alarity  in  this  country,  have  not  been  lacking  in  this  vitalising  quality; 
but  the  art  of  Mrs.  Slosson  and  Miss  Wilkins  is  that  of  imaginative  realism,  while 
that  of  Miss  Gertrude  Hall  is  that  of  imaginative  romance ;  theirs  is  the  work  of 
impassioned  observation,  hers  of  impassioned  invention.  There  is  in  her  book  a 
fine,  delicate  fantasy  that  reminds  one  of  Hawthorne  in  his  sweetest  moods;  and 
while  Hawthorne  had  certun  gifb  which  were  all  his  own,  the  new  writer  ex- 
hibits a  certain  winning  tenderness  in  which  he  was  generally  deficient  In  the 
domain  of  pure  romance  it  is  long  since  we  have  had  anything  so  rich  in  simple 
beauty  as  is  die  work  which  it  to  be  found  between  the  covers  of  *Far  firom 
To-day."» 


SoU  by  all  bookulltrs.    MaHtd^  post-paid^  on  rtceipt  offriet^  by  th* 
publishtrs, 

ROBERTS  BROTHERS,  Boston. 


Xtbe  "Reienotes  Series. 

I6I110.    Cloth*    Price,  $t«00. 


I. 
II. 
III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 


KE7H0TES.    By  Gborgb  Egkrton. 

THE  DAHCmO  FAUH.    By  Florence  Fare. 

POOR  FOLK.  By  Fbdor  Dostoievsky.  Translated  from  the 
Russian  by  Lena  Milman.  With  an  Introduction  by  George 
Moore. 

A  CHILD  OF  TBB  AOB.    By  Francis  Adams. 

THE  6SEAT  GOD  FAM  AHD  THE  mHHn  UOBT.      By 

Arthur  Machen. 

DI8C0ID8.    By  Georob  Egerton. 

FRnCB  7.AI.EairT.    By  M.  P.  Shiel. 

THE  WOUAI  WHO  UD.    By  Grant  Allen. 

WOmR'S  TRAGEDIES.    By  H.  D.  Lowry. 

GRST  ROSES  AHD  OTHER  STORIES.    By  Henry  Harland. 

AT  THE  FIRST  CORIER  AID  OTHER  STORIES.    By  [H.  B. 

Marriott  Watson. 

MOnOCHROMES.    By  Ella  D'Arcy. 

AT  THE  RELTOH  ARUS.    By  Evrlyn  Sharp. 

THE  QSBL  FROM  THE  FARM.    By  Gertrude  Dix. 

THE  MIRROR  OF  MUSIC.    By  Stanley  V.  Makowee. 

TELLOW  AHD  WBIIB.    By  W.  Carlton  Dawb. 

THE  MOmiTAlH  LOVERS.    By  Fiona  Maclbod. 

THE  WOUAS  WHO  DID  HOT.    By  Victoria  Crosse. 

THE  THREE  IMP0ST0B8.    By  Arthur  Machen. 

HOBODTS  FAULT.    By  Nbtta  Syrbtt. 

PLATOnC  AFFECTItmS.    By  John  Smith. 

IH  HiMESFUH.    By  E.  Nbsbit. 

HSTS  FOR  THE  WIHD.    By  Una  A.  Taylor. 

WHERE  THE  ATLAITIC  MEETS  THE  lAHD.  By  Caldwbll 
Lifsbtt. 

Chronides  of  Good  and  Evil.    By  Mabel  E. 


DAT.BOOKS. 

Wotton. 

m  SCARLET  AHD  GRET.  Stories  of  Soldiers  and  Others.  By 
Florbncb  Hbnnikbr  ;  with  THE  SPECTRE  OF  THE  REALt 
by  Thomas  Hardy  and  Florbncb  Hbnnikbr  (in  collaboration). 

MARIS  STELLA.    By  Marie  Clothilde  Balfoub. 

U6LT  IDOL.    By  Claud  Nicholson. 

SHAPES  IH  THE  IIRB.  A  Mid- Winter  Entertainment  With 
an  Interlude.    By  M.  P.  Shiel. 


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by  the  Publishers^ 


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John  Lane,  The  Bodley  Head,  Vigo  Street,  London,  "W. 


^ 

M                      f    J     ^                    i 

.^^J^ 

Ml^^m^r^k. 

m 

Wr^ 

NEW  ENGLAND  LEGENDS*^ FOLK  LORE. 

^j/  5>fAf(/£^  >4P/IAf5  DRAKE, 

Author  of  "  Old  Landmarks  of 'Boston*  and  'Middlesex!** 
''Around  the  Hub;*  etc. 

One  volume,  12mo,  cloth,  iUustrated.    Price,  $2.00. 


THIS  volume  bnn|<8  together,  for  the  first  time,  the  scattered  Legendary  and  Folk  Lore- 
of  New  England.  No  subject  is  so  thoroughly  fucinatiDg  as  this  is,  while  very  few 
indeed  afTord  materials  at  once  so  rich,  so  vaned,  and  so  picturesque.  It  is  confi- 
dently believed  that  every  one  who  sees  how  fertile  is  the  field  the  author's  research  has 
opened,  will  now  wonder  why  such  a  work  was  not  long  ago  undertaken. 

The  collection,  preservation,  and  effective  presentation  of  the  Legendary  Tales  of  New 
England  is  then  the  purpose  of  this  book ;  and  that  purpose  presupposes  a  work  of  per- 
manent interest  and  value. 

For  a  work  of  this  character  no  man  is  better  qualified  than  Mr.  Samuel  Adam& 
Drake,  the  author  who  has  already  a  high  reputation  as  a  writer  of  History,  Biooraphv, 
and  Travel,  and  who  is  thoroughly  it  home  in  any  and  every  phase  of  Old  New  England 
Life.  His  " Ojd  Landmarks  orBoston,"  his  "  Nooks  and  Comers  of  the  New  England 
Coast,"  are  unique  works  of  their  kind,  to  which  his  "  New  England  Legends "  wtlT  un- 
questionably be  the  appropriate  companion  and  claimant  for  public  favor. 

Having  diligently  searched  out  the  origin  of  the  Legendary  Tales  that  compose  this. 
volume,  Mr.  Drake's  method  has  been  to  rewrite  them  m  an  entertaining  manner  for  his 
readers  of  to-dav ;  and  as  some  of  these  pieces  have  been  the  theme  of  poetry  and  romance, 
he  has  placed  the  prose  and  poetic  versions  side  by  side,  in  order  that  the  thousands  to 
whom  "The  Scarlet  Letter,"  "The  Buccaneer,"  or  '*The  Skeleton  in  Armor"  are  as 
familiar  as  household  words,  may  have  as  ready  access  to  the  truth  as  hitherto  they  have 
had  to  the  romance  of  history. 

In  this  way  many  of  the  poetical  gems  of  such  authors  as  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Holmes, 
Dana,  Lowell.  Brainard,  Sigoumey,  and  others,  are  newly  interpreted  for  the  pubhc,  besides 
going  to  enrich  the  collection.  Motley,  Hawthomej  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Austin,  the  Mathers, 
—  whoever  in  fact  may  have  drawn  upon  this  subject  for  inspiration, — are  quoted  for  its 
illustration. 

The  popular  superstitions  of  onr  ancestors,  which  included  a  firm  belief  in  Witchcraft, 
in  the  Special  Providences  of  God,  and  in  the  Manifestations  of  the  Invisible  World, — 
not  to  speak  of  Omens,  Charms,  and  the  like,  —  are  an  unfiling  source  of  interest  to  our 
age.  Mr.  Drake  shows  us  what  those  belief  were,  and  in  what  way  they  worked  for  good 
or  evil,  as  moral  or  physical  agents,  and  so  moulded  the  history  of  the  times.  Although 
they  possess  all  the  charm  of  romance,  these  stories  are  really  the  sober  record  of  the  start- 
ling or  marvellous  occurrences  that  they  narrate.  One  cannot  rise  from  a  perusal  of  this, 
most  fascinating  book  without  saying,  "I  now  know  what  kind  of  men  and  women  the. 
founders  of  New  England  really  were.    Truth  ia  indeed  stranger  than  fiction  1 " 


ROBERTS    BROTHERS, 

^  Somerset  Street,  Boston,  Mass^ 


Messrs.  Roberts  Brothers*  Publications. 


A  STRANGE  CARBBR. 


LIFE   AND   ADVENTURES   OF 
JOHN  GLADWYN  JEBB. 

BY   HIS    WIDOW. 

With  an  Introduction  by  H.  Rider  Haggard,  and  a  por. 
trait  of  Mr.  Jebb.    i2mo,  cloth.    Price,  $1.25. 


A  remarkable  romance  of  modem  VAt.—Dailj^  ChrtnicU. 

Exciting  to  a  degree.  —  Black  and  Wkitt. 

Full  of  breathless  interest.  —  Timts. 

Reads  like  fiction. — Daily  Graf  hie. 

Pages  which  will  hold  their  readers  fast  to  the  very  end.  —  Graf  hie. 

A  better  told  and  more  marvellous  narrative  of  a  real  life  was  never  put 
Into  the  covers  of  a  small  octavo  volume.  —  To-Day. 

As  fascinating  as  any  romance.  .  .  .  The  book  is  of  the  most  entranc- 
Ing  interest.  —  St.  James's  Budget. 

Those  who  love  stories  of  adventure  will  find  a  volume  to  their  taste  in 
the  '*  Life  and  Adventures  of  John  Gladwyn  Jebb,"  just  published,  and  to 
which  an  introduction  is  furnished  by  Rider  Haggard.  The  latter  says 
that  rarely,  if  ever,  in  this  nineteenth  century,  has  a  man  lived  so  strange 
and  varied  an  existence  as  did  Mr.  Jebb.  From  the  time  that  he  came  to 
manhood  he  was  a  wanderer ;  and  how  he  survived  the  many  perils  of  his 
daily  life  is  certainly  a  mystery.  .  .  .  The  strange  and  remarkable  adven* 
tures  of  which  we  have  an  account  in  this  volume  were  in  Guatemala,  Brazil, 
in  our  own  far  West  with  the  Indians  on  the  plains,  in  mining  camps  in 
Colorado  and  California,  in  Texas,  in  Cuba  and  Mexico,  where  occurred 
the  search  for  Montezuma's,  or  rather  Guatemoc's  treasure,  to  which  Mr. 
Haggard  believes  that  Mr.  Jebb  held  the  key,  but  which  through  his  death 
is  now  forever  lost.  The  story  is  one  of  thrilling  interest  from  beginning 
to  end,  the  story  of  a  bom  adventurer,  unselfish,  sanguine,  romantic,  of  a 
man  too  mystical  and  poetic  in  his  nature  for  this  prosaic  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, but  who,  as  a  crasader  or  a  knight  errant,  would  have  won  dutinguished 
success.  The  volume  is  a  notable  addition  to  the  literature  of  adventure. 
—Boston  Advertiser, 


Said  fy  all  Booksellers,    Mailed^  postpaid^  by  the  pub- 
lisherst 

ROBERTS  BROTHERS,  Boston. 


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a  por. 


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